Disciplines
Architecture | Landscape Architecture | Urban, Community and Regional Planning
Abstract (300 words maximum)
Cities are key to sustainability, social cohesion, public health, and energy use. Successful urban planning relies on understanding the effect of the roads that connect the city with the neighboring settlements, which act as a scaffold for urban growth. The project develops representations and analytical tools for understanding urban evolution.
The research is based on the following analytical methods: 1) Digitally drawing the arterial roads for twenty Adriatic coastal cities in Italy based on historical maps surveyed in 1819; 2) Categorizing the cities into two main groups: those whose arterials have remained mostly unchanged and those whose arterials have been fundamentally altered due to the addition of gridiron streets in the 19th century; 3) Investigating the geographical context around the cities, which has affected their overall shape during urban growth.
The gridiron accretions are found in Pescara and Brindisi but are missing in a few cases, such as Rodi and Otranto. While in Brindisi, and Rimini, the gridirons entirely replace most of the historical arterials, in Termoli and Barletta, the gridirons are added as patches aligned to the historical arterials. In addition, given the straight configuration of most of Puglia coast and the coastal plain, cities like Bari and Trani, and have grown as half circles covering about 180 degrees. Where the coast bends into capes, the cities have grown as wedges covering 90-110 degrees, while in Brindisi, the town has grown around the bay, covering about 270 degrees.
The study shows the evolution of street networks over time is influenced by the physiographic context of the cities coupled with the configuration of inter-city arterial roads over and above the accretion with certain street patterns. The study shows the need for considering both these factors to understand urban evolution and inform the planning and design of cities in the future.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
CACM - Architecture
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Ermal Shpuza
Understanding the Effect of Intercity Roads on the Evolution of Urban Form
Cities are key to sustainability, social cohesion, public health, and energy use. Successful urban planning relies on understanding the effect of the roads that connect the city with the neighboring settlements, which act as a scaffold for urban growth. The project develops representations and analytical tools for understanding urban evolution.
The research is based on the following analytical methods: 1) Digitally drawing the arterial roads for twenty Adriatic coastal cities in Italy based on historical maps surveyed in 1819; 2) Categorizing the cities into two main groups: those whose arterials have remained mostly unchanged and those whose arterials have been fundamentally altered due to the addition of gridiron streets in the 19th century; 3) Investigating the geographical context around the cities, which has affected their overall shape during urban growth.
The gridiron accretions are found in Pescara and Brindisi but are missing in a few cases, such as Rodi and Otranto. While in Brindisi, and Rimini, the gridirons entirely replace most of the historical arterials, in Termoli and Barletta, the gridirons are added as patches aligned to the historical arterials. In addition, given the straight configuration of most of Puglia coast and the coastal plain, cities like Bari and Trani, and have grown as half circles covering about 180 degrees. Where the coast bends into capes, the cities have grown as wedges covering 90-110 degrees, while in Brindisi, the town has grown around the bay, covering about 270 degrees.
The study shows the evolution of street networks over time is influenced by the physiographic context of the cities coupled with the configuration of inter-city arterial roads over and above the accretion with certain street patterns. The study shows the need for considering both these factors to understand urban evolution and inform the planning and design of cities in the future.