Planning Theory (EKISTICS)

The term Ekistics was coined by Greek architect and urban planner Konstantinos Apostolos Doxiadis in 1942.
(He born in 1913). Applies to the science of human settlements. Ekistics studies how human settlements were
inhabited by humans and provides a conceptual framework for a better understanding of human settlements.
The foundation of the concept is in nature, which contains ecological systems, within which humans form
social network and societies and build the „shells‟ which are the physical structures providing comfortable
living conditions.
According To Doxiadis- In order to create the cities of the future, we need to systematically develop a science
of human settlements. Ekistics aims to encompass all scales of human habitation and seeks to learn from the
archeological and historical record by looking not only at great cities, but, as much as possible, at the total
settlement pattern. Ex-Islamabad, the new Capital of Pakistan, planned by Constantinos A. Doxiadis and
Doxiadis Associates in the late 1950s, is now a fast-growing city of about 1.5 million inhabitants, forming,
together with the adjacent old city of Rawalpindi and a National Park, a Metropolitan Area (Greater
Islamabad/Rawalpindi Area) of about 4.5 million inhabitants. Capital of Pakistan and 10th largest city in
world.
Ekistics has set the goal of human happiness.
His two Classificatory Dimensions-
1. First Dimension- relative to Scale
2. Second Dimension- man's five Environmental Elements
First Dimension- relative to Scale- Lower End- the individual, the room, and the dwelling; and increases in size
all the way into the...* Other Extreme- the city, the urbancontinent, and the "world-wide city"--which he
called an Ecumenopolis.
The basic 5 environmental elements of human settlements in the ekistics studies are described below
(Doxiades, 1968):
1. “Nature, providing the foundation upon which the settlements are created and the frame within which they
can function”
2. “Human”
3. “Society”
4. “Shells, or the structures within which a human lives and carry out his different functions”
5. “Networks, or the natural and human-made systems which facilitate the functioning of the settlements, as
for example roads, cycling corridors and infrastructure in general.”
i. The first principle is maximization of man's potential contacts with the elements of nature (such as water
and trees), with other people, and with the works of man (such as buildings and roads).
ii. The second principle is minimization of the effort required for the achievement of man's actual and
potential contacts.
iii. The third principle is optimization of man's protective space, which means the selection of such a distance
from other persons, animals, or objects that he can keep his Contacts with them (first principle) without any
kind of Sensory Or Psychological discomfort.
iv. The fourth principle is optimization of the quality of man's relationship with his environment, which
consists of nature, society, shells (buildings and houses of all sorts)and networks (ranging from roads to
telecommunications). This is the principle that leads to order, physiological and aesthetic, and that influences
architecture and, in many respects, art.
v. Finally, and this is the fifth principle, man organizes his settlements in an attempt to achieve an optimum
synthesis of the other four principles, and this optimization is dependent on time and space, on actual
conditions, and on man's ability to create a synthesis.
According to Doxiadis, the greatest problem facing cities worldwide was the problem of managing growth
and He proposed several solutions to leave room for expansion of the city core.
Some of his proposals included:
1. Limiting all buildings to three levels or less, with permission to build higher
 2. Separating automobile and pedestrian traffic completely.
3. Constructing cities as a "beehive" of cells each no bigger than 2 by 2 kilometers, the maximum
comfortable distance for pedestrians.
Central mall in a recently built shopping center outside Los Angeles where pedestrians are able to move free
of automobile traffic. Doxiadis limited the number of roads on campus. all the educational buildings are
interconnected to permit people to walk from one to the other. Courtyards provide a place for meetings
between people. The garden cities were created outside the built-up area (a) in order to avoid its pressures,
but later were absorbed by the dynamically expanding city.

The key to the solution is the creation of the human community as a part of a much largercity.The problem,
therefore, is reshaped as aproblem of an organized Ecumenopolis, consisting of many human communities
that willbe its fundamental cells, interconnected by the tens, hundreds, thousands.
Ekistics unit : 15 level from men to Ecumenopolis
1. Anthropos- 1 9. Small metropolis- 5,00,000
2. Room- 2 10. Metropolis- 4Million
3. House- 5 11. Small megapolis- 25 Million
4. Hamlet- 40 12. Megapolies- 150 Million
5. Village- 250 13. Small eperopolis- 750 Millon
6. Neighbourhood-1500 14. Eperopolis- 7500 Milliuon
7. Small polis-10,000 15. Ecumenopolis- 50000 Million
8. Polis(city)-75,000
Doxiadis estimated in 1968 for 2100. And the earth would achieve zero population growth at a population of
50000000000(5x10 to the power 10).
GOVERNMENT OFFICES ON HOUSING AND SETTLEMENTS
HUDCC- And under HUDCC 1.HLURB
2.NHA
3.HGC
4. HDMF
HUDCC- The Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) was created by then President
Corazon C. Aquino to serve as the highest policy making body for housing and coordinate the activities of the
government housing agencies to ensure the accomplishment of the National Shelter Program.
HLURB- The Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) is a national government agency tasked as the
planning, regulatory and quasi-judicial body for land use development and real estate and housing regulation.
NHA- The National Housing Authority is a government-owned and –controlled corporation under the
administrative supervision of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council and classified under
the Infrastructure Utilities Group. Provides responsive housing programs primarily to homeless low-income
families with access to social services and economic opportunities with excellence while ensuring corporate
viability.
HGC- The Home Guaranty Corporation (HGC) is the government-owned-and controlled corporation (GOCC)
mandated by law (Republic Act 8763) to promote sustainable home ownership by providing risk coverage or
Guarantees and tax/fiscal incentives to banks and financial institutions/investors granting housing
development loans/credits, and home financing.
HDMF- The Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF), more popularly known as the Pag-IBIG Fund, was an
answer to the need for a national savings program and an affordable shelter financing for the Filipino worker.
Pag-IBIG is an acronym which stands for Pagtutulungan sa Kinabukasan: Ikaw, Bangko, Industria at
Gobyerno.
REASON WHY CITIES STILL LIVE- Vital cities have marvelous innate abilities for understanding ,
communicating, contriving and inventing what is required to combat their difficulties.
Perhaps the most striking example of this ability is the effect that big cities have had on disease.
 helpless and devastated victims of disease, but they became great disease
conquerors. All the apparatus of surgery, hygiene, public health measures, etc. which people not only in cities
but also outside them depend upon for the unending wars against premature
mortality are fundamentally products of big cities and would be inconceivable without big cities.
productivity, the close-grained juxtaposition of talents that permit society to support
advances such as these are themselves products of our organization into cities, and especially into big and
dense cities.
The concept of dynamic city goes through four stages
1. Dynapolis (monocentric city developing in one direction)
2. Dynametropolis (parallel development of several developments Dynapolises in different directions)
3. Dynamegopolis(giant city)
4. Ecumenopolis
Ecumenopolis is nothing but joining of two giant cities or two dynametropolis for example two cities in Japan;
Tokyo & Osaka.
Successfully implementation of Dynapolies to Islamabad:-
The original Master Plan of Metropolitan Islamabad was based on the principles of the dynametropolis
(parallel development of several developments Dynapolises in different directions). That Islamabad and
Rawalpindi will expand dynamically towards south west along with their centre cores.