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A report on “Patterns of Neighbourhood structure in history”

Submitted by: Amit Pokharel, pokhrelamit2003@yahoo.com M.Sc.Urban design and conservation, Regd.No.:-035-3-3-03881-2012; Batch: 2012-2014Purbanchal university

Patterns of Neighbourhood Structure in History

• A neighbourhood is a early diagrammatic planning model for residential development in metropolitan areas.

• geographically localised community within a larger city, town, suburb or rural area.

• Neighbourhoods are often social communities with considerable face-to-face interactions occurs- the personal settings and situations where residents seek to realise common values, socialise youth, and maintain effective social control

• Neighbourhood is generally defined spatially as a specific geographic area and functionally as a set of social networks.

           Early cities

Neighbourhood structure present with kuti for teaching student, primary health post(baidya) and facilities of road,drain and watersupply.

There was a evidence of Neighbourhood structure within the Indus vally civilization containing the pattern of city planning in the form of pedestrian street with drainage, watersupply facilities with multiple storied building.

Figure 1-2-3-4: cities of 4 civilization; sumerian city ,egypt and yangshao village structre 

Neighbourhood Structure Paleolithic settlement

• Settlement in the forms of caves and pits within the tribal communities.

• Absence of Neighbourhood structure.

Neolithic settlement

• Rural settlements, clustered or scattered communities, pit dwellings, houses on piles and lakes, long houses with 50-100 clan units forming cluster groups.

• Population: 2-3 thousands people• Absence of Neighbourhood structure,

though it contains city with settlement.

Bronze age settlement

• the agriculture age (3000-5th C BC) which is also known as Bronze-Iron stage, mostly Bronze use Age.

• Neighbourhood unit was changed in the form of cities, settled villages, fortifications, fencing and terracing.

• Presence of Neighbourhood structure. Example: Indus valey and sumerian city.

Iron age settlement

• Social living structure in the form of Imperial cities, cosmopolitan cities and colonies. The active territory was formed by the community in the form of village, town, itinary trade routes (uttarapath, dakshinipath, silk road) and imperial territory

• The rise of strong centralized governments, and the beginnings of recognizable nation-states that are the direct antecedents of today's states.

• Presence of Neighbourhood structure

Iron age (5th C BC)• The social living structure in the form of settlement was changed in the form of

Imperial cities, cosmopolitan cities and colonies. Some of the examples which form the neighbourhood pattern are Miletus and Rome.

• Neighbourhood structure was found in Iron age at different cities in the Europe

•

Figure: 1st and 2nd Ancient Miletus and 3rd is Rome

Rome

Medieval period 5th C to 17th C

• large cities with population upto 1 million, regional town centres, planned towns and settlements and low rise compact settlements.

• Neighbourhood structure in the form of function and adaptability like road, drains, watersupply pipeline and the concept of planning their settlements.

• Some medieval towns (Paris [150,000], London [40,000], or Florence [100,000]) were Roman in origin; others newly built.

• In medieval period there was a rapid growth of industry and development of infrastructures. Some of the examples were Xian, Kyoto, Palmananov. The building structure and form was started from 9th C in China, whereas the Islamic tradition was started from 8th C in Baghdad and the town environment was started from 11th C in Japan.

•      

(Figure Miletus: old and new)

The medieval period is the mid-time of the traditional division of Western history into Classical Period to Renaissance

                                       (Figure: Xian, Renniassaince pictures of Medieval)

Industrial period

• The time period was started from 17th C -20th C where there was a social form of migrant community, nuclear family to have interest association to fulfill the facilities of the social living people.

• Neighbourhood structure are found in the city of Europe, China and United states and other parts in the world.

• The development pattern was from begining into change in process. The population was also increased and due to rapid urbanization, people are living their life in cities.

• A new form of living a life in metroplis, sattelite towns, industrial towns, conurbation, high rise and dense social forms, suburban, sprawl with vechicular ways and the active territory was changed into neighbourhood with work place and market zone network.

• Presence of Neighbourhood structure.

      Figure: Kyoto city from past to present

The settlement form and the built environment has changed into a new form of living a life in metroplis, sattelite towns, industrial towns, conurbation, high rise and dense social forms, suburban, sprawl with vechicular ways and the active territory was changed into neighbourhood with work place and market zone network. 

Figure: London, Palamanov-Italy and Rome, map of 17th C

Industrial period or Modern period

• The history plays an important role to have a change in the socities. The beginning of the 20th century saw the first description of the local community as being a natural agglomeration. In 1915, Park described these groupings as the results of the competition for land use between various businesses and groups of populations existing without formal organization.

• A neighbourhood is often considered to be a living area as well as a place of work and a family environment. One will find people interacting for utility (grocery stores, medical clinics, schools, recreational parks, etc.), support or mutual aid (exchanges of services), or for pure socialization (the need to create bonds between individuals).

• The modern period with urban planning in context of Neighbourhood has changed into super components of apartments and high rise buildings.

• The growth of modern industry from the late 18th century onward led to massive urbanization and the rise of new great cities, first in Europe and then in other regions, as new opportunities brought huge numbers of migrants from rural communities into urban areas.

• Figure: Highrise building and Apartments

15 neighbourhood structure found within  6km distance in Turkey town-husaine, 

• Neighbourhoods encompass 2,000 to 10,000 families. Within neighbourhoods, families are grouped into smaller residential units or quarters of 100 to 600 families and supervised by a residents' committee; these are subdivided into residents' small groups of fifteen to forty families.

• It is a space we learn to recognize by moving throughout it while carrying social and economic activities such as visiting friends and shopping. Neighbourhood structure was found in this period. Examples are listed below.

A neighbourhood structure found in the figures: lisbon, portugal; manila, philipines; satelitte towns-netherland( urban sprawl) and a new city-china

Historic Neighbourhood

• Neighborhood size has been defined throughout planning history.

• The neighborhood is the planning unit for a town.

• In the words of the urban scholar Lewis Mumford, “Neighbourhoods, in permanent family dwellings; and many of the functions of the city tend to be distributed naturally—that is, without any theoretical preoccupation or political direction into neighbourhoods.” 

• Clarence Perry defines the neighborhood as a component of a town and defines its size based upon a five-minute walking radius. The radius is measured from the center, and the center holds the cultural uses such as a school.

• Finally, the concept of neighbourhood structure as a whole , containing a group of component neigbourhood is not a new , nor is discussion of neighbourhood related problems closely involved in the patterns of urban land use.

The Neighbourhood Idea A sound area for living with Adequate school and parks within a 5min/10 min walk. Major street around rather than through the neighbourhood Separate residential and non residential distrcits or commercial centres Population large enough to support an elementary school, usually 5,000 to

10,000 people Some neighbours stores and services Facilities of water supply, drainage, utilities, minimum a hospital, with

safety security and minimum a green environment

New model for neighbourhood, paris , radburn and spain city -  

Form of Neighbourhood structure

Form of Neighbourhood structure

Forms of Neighbourhood structure in Rural towns of Ireland

model in switzerland , radburn with pedestrian & garden, Queens and concept of neighbourhood unit

Form of Neighbourhood structure in rural towns in Brasilla

Conclusion

• There are many defination relating to neighbourhood. Some famous writer have their own opinion about neighbourhood structure , but in the present context, there are a methods to identify the neighbourhood structure by some byelaws. At least there should be a facilities with open area and a park with parking facilities and trend of urban planning with green environment within built environment.

• The concept of the neighbourhood is well established as a basic unit for planning our cities. Further, it is a popular and accepted element of a social and physical organization in the minds of most Architect, Engineer and city designer. The neighbourhood has become the symbol, through conscious design of a means to preserve the real or imagined values of an earlier , semi-rural way of life in our increasingly complex and fast moving urban centers.

• In localities where neighbourhoods do not have an official status, questions can arise as to where one neighbourhood begins and another ends. Many cities use districts and wards as official divisions of the city, rather than traditional neighbourhood boundaries.