Types of Urban Spaces

Streets

Plazas

Streets
Streets are the connections between spaces
and places, as well as being spaces
themselves. They are defined by their
physical dimension and character as well as
the size, scale, and character of the buildings
that line them. Streets range from grand
avenues such as the Champs-Elysees in Paris
to small, intimate pedestrian streets. The
pattern of the street network is a part of what
defines a city and what makes each city
unique.

Precinct

Spaces for
Residential
Commercial
Recreationa
l
Industrial
Arrangement of city streets
use
Squares

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PLAZ
A

Aplazais an open urbanpublic space, such as acity

square.
All throughSpanish Americaand theSpanish East
Indies, theplaza mayorof each center of
administration held three closely related institutions:
the cathedral, thecabildoor administrative center,
which might be incorporated in a wing of a
governor'spalace, and theaudienciaor law court. The
plaza might be large enough to serve as a military
parade ground. At times of crisis orfiesta, it was the
space where a large crowd might gather. Like the
Italian piazza, the plaza remains a center of
community life that is only equaled by the marketplace.
Most colonial cities inSpanish Americaand
thePhilippineswere planned around a squareplaza de
armas, where troops could be mustered, as the name
implies, surrounded by the governor's palace and the
main church. Aplaza de torosis abullring.

Immagine daGenova - piazza De Ferrari

In modern usage, a plaza can be any gathering place on a

street or between buildings, a street intersection with a
statue, etc. Today's metropolitan landscapes often
incorporate the "plaza" as a design element, or as an
outcome of zoning regulations, building budgetary
constraints, and the like. SociologistWilliam H.
Whyteconducted an extensive study of plazas inNew York
City: his study humanized the way modern urban plazas
are conceptualized, and helped usher in significant design
Submitted
By- Parul Taneja (10 BAC 13)
changes in the making
of plazas.

How should a good plaza be like?

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PRECINCT
Aprecinctis a space enclosed by the
walls or other boundaries of a particular
place or building, or by an arbitrary and
imaginary line drawn around it. The
term has several different uses. It can,
for example, refer to a division of a
police department in a large city (either
to the neighbourhood patrolled or to the
police station itself).New York Cityis
the best known U.S. city that uses
"precinct" as the term for its police
stations.

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SQUARES
One of the most important elements of
city design is the square or plaza. It is
possibly the most important way of
designing a good setting for public and
commercial buildings in cities.

There are two main methods of categorizing squares by

function and by form. There are numerous examples of recent
plaza design where one or other of these two equally important
criteria of excellence have been neglected. The empty
windswept place surrounded by under-utilized buildings is all
too common in the modern city, while its opposite or
counterpart, the busy traffic island or faceless car park around
which are scattered collections of non-related buildings, is also

A square or plaza is both an area framed by

buildings and an area designed to exhibit its
buildings to the greatest advantage. Great
civic compositions such as St Marks Square,
Venice, St Peters Square, Rome, and the
group of squares in Bath by John Wood and
his son are unique in the relationship
between space, the surrounding buildings
and the dome of the sky; they demand an
emotional and cerebral response and, as
such, compare with any other art form.

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RESIDENTIAL SPACES
A residential area is a land use in which
housing predominates, as opposed to
industrial and commercial areas. Housing
may vary significantly between, and
through, residential areas. These include
single-family housing, multi-family
residential, or mobile homes.

Zoning for residential use may permit some services or work opportunities or may
totally exclude business and industry. It may permit high density land use or only
permit low density uses. Residential zoning usually includes a smaller FAR (floor
area ratio) than business, commercial or industrial/manufacturing zoning. The
area may be large or small.
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COMMERCIAL

Commercial areas in a city can take up about 5% of a citys land. It is used for
commercial activities. These activities include the buying and selling of goods and
services in retail businesses, wholesale buying and selling, financial
establishments, and wide variety of services that are broadly classified as
"business".

Shopping Malls

Restaurants

Banks and Stock Exchange

Movie Theatres

Even though these commercial activities use only a small

amount of land, they are extremely important to a communitys
economy. They provide jobs and bring money into the
community.

Submitted By- Parul Taneja (10 BAC 13)