Urban Design: Then & NowA Comparison of Pre- and Post-Automobile Development in Nice, France

PJ Bell29 February 2016

France

ItalySpain

Nice

Portugal

Germany

Algeria

Metres1:30,00016008004000

N

1600m

800m

200m

1600m

800m

200m

2

1

STUDY AREAS

Vieux Ville embodies the dense, organic design of pre-automobile development. The area is composed of mixed-use buildings and is dominated by people on foot, bicycle, and occasionally mopeds exploring the narrow streets. The vibrant plazas are filled with local shops and charming Mediterranean restaurants.

Le Ray is a suburban neighbourhood that is located approximately four kilometers northwest of Vieux Ville. It contains a combination of single detached homes and large, uniform apartment complexes. The car-lined streets and narrow sidewalks leave little room for pedestrians.

1:

2:

Spatial Context

N4000 200

Metres1:9000800ParkingCommercial

Mixed UseResidentialInstitutional

Parks & PlazasWater Industrial

Land Use ComparisonVieux Ville Le Ray

4000 200Metres1:4500

100N

Figure GroundVieux Ville Le Ray

CharacterVieux Ville Le Ray

MeasuresVieux Ville Le Ray

5.5m 1.2m 6.0m 2.0m 1.5m 5.9m

8.4m (avg)

18.0m

2.8 Stories

6.0 Stories

Building to Street Ratio:1.1 : 1

Building to Street Ratio:2.3 : 1

Setback

Sidewalk

Driving Lanes

Parking Lane

Sidewalk

Setback

2.8m 3.0m 6.0m 3.0m

Sidewalk

Sidewalk

Driving Lane

Single Lane

17.0m (avg)5.5 Stories

Building to Street Ratio: 6.0 : 1

17.0m (avg)5.5 Stories

Building to Street Ratio: 1.8 : 1

SIDE STREET MAIN STREET

FSR (Gross): 4.17FSR (Net): 5.59

FSR (Gross): 0.86FSR (Net): 0.93

Shadow StudiesVieux Ville Le Ray

JUNE 21

MAR 21

DEC 21

9:00 12:00 15:00 9:00 12:00 15:00

When the built environment encourages exploration, invites lingering, and allows for efficient movement, an area has been well designed. Vieux Ville displays most of these key traits; its human-scale design, colourful architecture, and vibrant plazas attract both local residents and tourists from far and near.

Happy, comfortable people are a reliable indicator of successful urban design.

Open space is somewhat limited in this dense area, but an abundance of public space provides breathing room and creates an engaging social environment. However, while the narrow roads are a pleasure to wander by foot, they present a challenge in certain emergency situations when large vehicles such as fire trucks and ambulances require access.

The auto-oriented design of Le Ray provides full vehicular access, but the resulting urban form—surface parking lots, narrow sidewalks, and boring, anonymous buildings—is unfriendly to pedestrians and likely attracts very few visitors. While there appears to be more open space and vegetation than in Vieux Ville, these areas are entirely fenced off from the public,

resulting in private oases but leaving few public spaces to activate the area. Ultimately, superior urban design must achieve a balance between accessibility and exploration, vehicles and pedestrians, and private and public space, all while keeping the users of the space safe, healthy, comfortable, and content.

Conclusion