URSI 100--Introduction to the City

Design With Style

I. Elements of Design

a. Space

i. Openness/closure

1. 1:1—45 degrees; fullenclosure

2. 1:2—30 degrees; enclosure

3. 1:3—22 degrees, minimal enclosure

4. 1:4—18 degrees, no enclosure

ii. shade/illumination

iii. focal point/infinity

iv. stand-alone (monumental) vs. connected (intimate)

b. Scale

i. Modularity (4x8; 1 tatami)

ii. Visual distance

1. intimate (up to 80 ft.)

2. urbane (80-450 feet)

3. monumental (400-4,000 feet)

iii. Circulation (pedestrian vs. auto)

iv. Articulation (repetition creates impression of larger size)

c. Color & Texture

i. Day vs. night

ii. Patina

iii. Texture is to the hand what color is to the eye

d. Furnishings

i. Provide scale

ii. Identity

iii. Problem of clutter

II. Principles of Design

a. Functionalism

i. Utility (“Form follows function”)

ii. Clarity

iii. Honesty

iv. Compare with principles of decorativeness, mystery/magic

b. Symmetry

i. Equilibrium

ii. Regularity

iii. Focus

iv. Compare with dynamism, surprise, movement

c. Diversity (Jane Jacobs, Death and Life of Great American Cities)

i. Mixture of uses

ii. Short city blocks

iii. Mixture in age of buildings

iv. Density

v. Compare with suburban values of simplicity, single use, long curving streets, common age, privacy & open space

III. Levels of Design

a. Buildings

i. Greek Revival

ii. Gothic revival

iii. French Second Empire 1, 2

iv. Italianate

v. Romanesque

vi. Victorian & Queen Anne

vii. Craftsman

viii. Prairie 1, 2

ix. Art Deco/Art Moderne

x. Modernism 1, 2, 3, 4

xi. Post-Modernism 1, 2, 3

b. Neighborhoods

i. Radburn, NJ (Clarence Stein)

ii. “Neighborhood Unit” (Clarence Perry)

iii. Image of City (Kevin Lynch)

1. districts

2. edges

3. nodes

4. paths

5. landmarks

c. Cities

i. Satellite

ii. Spread

iii. Radial

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