Theories Of Urban Design

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Theories of Urban Design Roger Trancik FIGURE-GROUND THEORY I. Introduction. The figure-ground theory is founded on the study of the relative land coverage of · Solid masses à (“figure”) (buildings) to · Open voidsà (”ground”). (parks, streets, squares) A predominant “field” of solids and voids creates the urban fabric. Figure-ground theory is founded on consideration of land coverage buildings as solid mass to open voids. Naturally each environment has an existence of “solids” and “voids”. In spatial design, figure-ground theory is to manipulate these relationships by “adding” or “substracting”. Figure-ground studies reveal the collective of patterns and classify them. The figure-ground theory further…show more content…
Linkage means a line connecting different elementsto one another, nodes with each other nodes, or districts with each other. Thisline can be shaped by roads network, pedestrian paths, open spaces that form aline and so on. Linkage theory involves organizing the connecting lines thatconnect parts of the city and the design of "spatial datum" of thebuilding line to the space. Spatial datum may include: site line, direction ofmovement, axis, or building edge which together form a linkage system in aspatial environment. An urban linkage can be observed in a way and a differentapproach, there are four urban linkage approaches: Visual linkage, structurallinkage, linkage collective form and horizontal…show more content…
In describing megaform,Maki points out several administrative and engineering advantages, principally theadvantage of efficiency in ordering varied functions and investment within a simpleinfrastructure. The tight structure of megaform encloses the internally coveredspace and the perimeter is formally defined, but the structure is indifferent toexterior space. It tends to turn its back on the physical context and createsits own milieu by embracing a very large room without specific reference tohuman scale. In such examples the form generator is often the high-speed road network. c. Group form The third formal type of linkage space is "groupform". This is the result of

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