“It is generally realized from personal experience that these irregularities do not have an unpleasant effect at all, but on the contrary, they enhance naturalness, they stimulate our interest, and, above all, they augment the picturesque quality of the tableau.”
– Camillo Sitte (1889)
One of the best known …
“The architect imagines and think primarily in terms of the three-dimensional mass, a volume. Space as a three-dimensional void has been considered rather as a by-product.”
– Paul Zucker (1959)
Zucker’s quote captures the essence of urban square design. It’s not just about arranging a two-dimensional surface …
“Triangular plazas are always unattractive, of course, because in them any deception of the eye is impossible, and the building lines of the houses which face on them intersect awkwardly.”
– Camillo Sitte (1889)
Much has been written about square shapes, and the most common form resembles a rectangle rather…
“Most often our perception of the city is not sustained, but rather partial, fragmentary, mixed with other concerns. Nearly every sense is in operation, and the image is the composite of them all.”
– Kevin Lynch (1960)
Lynch is known for his work on the perceptual form of urban environments. He was…
“Cities are fundamentally about people, and where people go and where people meet are at the core of what makes a city work. So even more important than buildings in a city are the public spaces in between them. (…) Lively, enjoyable public spaces are the key to plan…
“We are well aware of the effect of an old plaza, but how to produce it under modern conditions is not understood because we are no longer cognizant of the relation between cause and effect in these matters.”
– Camillo Sitte (1889)
Through the last 135 years many great urban designers analysed the qualities of…