City in layers-part 1- An urban design concept

City in layers part 1 An urban design concept article is not a promotion for Terry Ferrell’s Idea of Shaping London nor for Pedro Ortiz’s concept of The Metropolis. Specifically, it’s about the notion of city growth, the urban form changes. In addition, how this transformation happens makes a city a bigger component of the metropolis. Moreover, how the concept city in layers contributes to creating a good urban form. Because of this new approach to urban design, I will surely show a detailed analysis at the same time, its connection to practice. Certainly, the image below is the central part of the city subject of our discussion.

City in layers VS paradigms of urban regeneration.

Adding to the former paragraph, Beyond and regardless urban design theories, how city design contributes to the urban form and city evolution, making the metropolis. Academics in various studies consider the urban regeneration methods in fact as the base paradigms for this transformation. Also, here I am discussing mainly the professional practice role in urban design. Furthermore, the direct influence of shaping the urban form and the city, and as a result, creating it in layers. Certainly, in old times, since the creation of human being’s people gathered in nature to establish settlements.

Indeed, villages start with homes around a water source and land for cultivation. Surely, the village’s congregation builds a town and develops spatial space or infrastructure. Consequently, towns develop in size and population to create sectors. Obviously, the latter connect to form what we call in the modern world a big city. In reality, every city in the world is built of a complex urban form, a spatial structure consisting of not only transport nodes, open parks, public spaces, as well as linking spaces between buildings. Cities’ suburban areas are connected by transportation nodes, commercial, administrative forms, and buildings, and here, as a result, we observe the metropolis.

City in layers part 1 an urban design concept, characteristic of transformation

After that analysis, we start to draw and criticize the formation of a metropolis:” What are the characteristics of a transformed city in order to formulate a metropolis?” “What are the characteristics of the spatial structure of a metropolis? Specifically, I am here concerned about the role of urban design and designers in professional practice in creating the metropolis, in addition to how they establish the design layer by layer.

Certainly, in this post, I am going to go through the evolution of London’s central city in the last century, at the same time, to stand on the theory and practice of the process and method of this transformation and layer creation. Furthermore, the post will focus on the specific timeline in the metropolis life (2000-2015), (1950-1970), and (1900-1935), likewise criticizing the distinctive urban development. I am presenting the study in reverse history in order to show clearly how the area of study developed gradually.

References

1. Trancik,Roger.(1986) Finding lost space .New  York-USA : Van Nostrand Reinhold
2. Cuthbert, R.Alexander. (2011) Understanding Cities method in urban design. Oxon-UK ,Routledge (Taylor & Francis group).
3. Shane, David Grahame. (2011) Urban design since 1945. West Sussex-London: Wiley & Sons Ltd.
4. Lynch, Kevin. (1960) Image of the city .London-UK: MIT Press.
5. Tallon, Andrew. (2013)Urban regeneration in the UK. Second edition.Oxon-Uk: Routledge (Taylor & Francis group).
6.  Lang, Robert. (2003) Edgeless Cities are exploring the elusive metropolis. Washington-USA: Brookings Institution’s press.
7. Wallinger, Mark. (2014)Labyrinth a journey through London’s underground .London-Uk: Arts book Publishing.
8. Carmona et al .(2003)Public places , urban spaces – the dimensions of urban design .Oxford-Uk : architectural press.
9. Laurie, Micheal. (2002)Introduction to landscape architecture. New jersey –USA: PTR prentice hall.
10. Czerniak, Julia&Hargreaves, Jeorge. (2007)Large Parks. New York-USA: Princeton Architectural Press.
11. Turner, Tom. (1998)Landscape Planning and environmental impact design.London-Uk: UCL Press.
12. Osborn, F.J. (1946) Garden cities of tomorrow. London-UK: Faber&Faber.
13. Cherry, Gordon E. (1972) Urban change and planning – a history of urban development in Britain since 1750.Oxfordshire-UK: GT Foulis & CO LTD.
14. Liversedge, Jamie&Holden, Robert. (2014)Landscape architecture an introduction. London-UK: Laurence King LTD.
15. OC, Taner&Tiesdell, Steven.(1997)Safer city centers reviving the public realm . Liverpool-UK: Paul Champon Publishing.
16. Evans, Alun Sylvester. (1980) urban renaissance a better life in towns.England-UK: Robert stockwell LTD.
17. Longley,Paul&Batty,Michael.(1994)Fractal Cities a geometry of form and function .London-Uk: Academic Press
18. Greeves, Ivan .S. (1980) London Docks 1800-1980 a civil engineering history. London-UK: Thomas Telford Limited.
19. Trench, Richard.Hillman, Eliss. (1985)London under London a subterranean guide.London-Uk: John Murray LTD.