COMMUNITY PLANNING DEVELOPMENT 1

COMMUNITY PLANNING DEVELOPMENT

A Research Paper Presented to

Architect Aurora B. Panopio
NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
College of Architecture

In partial fulfillment
Of the requirements in
Specialization 2: Community Planning Development
ASPECN2

By
Semania, Angelo Joseph S.
COMMUNITY PLANNING DEVELOPMENT 2

ABSTRACT

Within the vastness of the universe, humanity is not that big of a deal. We are just a

speck of dust in the galaxy.

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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

In the world we live in today, the world feels normal, ordinary, It feels like this is just

how humans exist and always existed. But it’s not. Never before have we humans lived in a

world as sophisticated and engineered to our needs as today. Food, Shelter, security – all of

this is, more or less, taken for granted. But before all of this came to exist, life before was

very difficult. So, how did humans live before? The story of the human being starts with what

we call Homos. 2.8 million years ago, the genus of homo, the first humans, emerged. Early

humans lived in groups for their survival but there were no cities, towns before just humans

living in a cave.

When humans learned to control fire, they cooked which made food more nutritious,

which contributed to the development of our brain. It also produced light and warmth, which

made days longer and the winters less gruesome or colder.

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Greek Planning (15th Century B.C)

Hippodamus of Miletus is considered

the father of city planning. The

Hippodamian plan is now known as

“iron grid plan” formed by streets

intersecting at right angles.

Hippodamus helped rebuild many

Greek cities using this plan, and the

construction was exported to newly

settle Greek colonies. It was later

adopted by Alexander the Great for

the cities he founded and was

Figure 1 Grid plan of Miletus as it appeared c. 400 BCE.
eventually used extensively by the

Romans for their colonies. The plan

not only encompassed the grid pattern for the streets but also designated a standard size for

city blocks and allocated public and private space. Typically the public spaces of the Greeks'

agorae and theatres were located at the center of the city. Additional space would be cleared

for gymnasiums and stadiums. The acropolis, the highest part of the city, was always

reserved for the city's most important temples.[CITATION Bou \l 1033 ]

Roman Planning

The romans used a consolidated scheme for planning their cities. As we all know, Romans

are known for their huge empire and their military defense system are great. Their plan was

mostly for military defense purposes. Basic plan consisted of a central forum with city

service, surrounded by a compact, rectilinear grid of street.

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They also invented lime concrete which they used in their structures. Their roads were paved

with stones. They also developed an advanced system of water supply (Aqueducts &water

reservoirs), sewage system and drainage system through ducts and underground sewers in

semi-circular vaulted form were used. All public latrines were connected to underground

sewerage system. People normally used the public latrines.

Figure 2 Roman Plan

To reduce travel times two diagonal streets crossed the square grid, passing through

the central square. A river usually flowed through the city, providing water, transport and

sewage disposal. All roads were equal in length except for two which were slightly wider

than the other one of these run east-west and the other north-south and it intersected in the

middle to form the center of the grid.

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Medieval Planning

The medieval period is known for the

huge castle and knights. Just like in a

fairytale story. But in reality the towns is

small but it gives assurance of its human

scale in visible construction and activity.

Design elements of the town are

Figure 3 Medieval Plan
its houses and gardens, its walls, its

plazas, its gothic church, its public buildings and most importantly the streets. The castle

became a town filled with merchants, tradesmen, and craftsmen. The houses were small but it

had gardens and privacy.

Laws of the Indies

In Spanish, Leyes de las Indias are the entire

body of laws issued by the Spanish Crown for

the American and the Philippine possessions of

its empire. They regulated social, political,

religious, and economic life in these areas.

Figure 4: Map of Intramuros
[CITATION Man73 \l 1033 ] It starts with a plaza

in the middle of the town, at a port location; it should be near the landing point. The plaza should be

either square or rectangular in shape; if the latter, then the length should be at least half the width. The

size of the plaza should be proportional to the population, taking expected growth into consideration;

at a minimum it should be 200ft x 300ft; and maximum should be 532ft x 800ft. 400ft x 600ft is

recommended as a good proportion. The four principal streets begin at the center of each side of the
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plaza and eight other streets begin from each corner. The buildings around the plaza are to have

portales, as are those on the four principal streets. At the corners, however, the portales should stop so

that the sidewalks of the eight other streets can be aligned with the plaza. It describes a self-sustaining

community containing a grid of streets with a rectangular plaza or common at its center. The church

and the government buildings are standing at opposite ends of the plaza.

The Garden Cities (1850 -1928)

According to Ebenezer Howard, man

and nature should be in harmony. That is

why he proposed the Garden Cities of

Tomorrow. The principle of always

preserving a belt of country round our cities

would ever be kept in mind. To him, we

should have a cluster of cities, so grouped in

a central city that each inhabitant would be

Figure 5: Three Magnets of the Garden City
living in & enjoy all the advantages of a

great and most beautiful city.

Ebenezer Howard is a social reformer. Howard’s optimum living environment

consisted of the culture and services of the city combined with the soothing environs of the

trees and ponds of the countryside.

The first garden city that was built was in 1904, Raymond Unwin, a noted architect

and town planner, and his partner Barry Parker, won the competition run by First Garden City

Ltd. to plan Letchworth, an area 34 miles outside London. [ CITATION Hal02 \l 1033 ] Unwin

and Parker planned the town in the center of the Letchworth estate with Howard's large
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agricultural greenbelt surrounding the town, and they shared Howard's notion that the

working class deserved better and more affordable housing. However, the architects ignored

Howard's symmetric design, instead replacing it with a more ‘organic’ design.[ CITATION Fai03

\l 1033 ]

Neighborhood Unit