Classical Urbanism

On January 26, Michael Dennis, an authority on urban design and Professor of Architecture Emeritus at MIT, led a course on Classical Urbanism at the ICAA’s National Office. The course was designed to give participants an overview of the classical history of city planning in addition to hands-on experience designing their own urban plan.

The course began with a lecture on the history of urban planning and the city landscape. Prof. Dennis explained how the city is broken down into elements of blocks, neighborhoods, and centers. In classical cities such as those found in Rome, the urban plan is made up of a grid system of blocks surrounding a city center or marketplace. The design evolved from the Greek polis, in which the homes of citizens, largely agricultural landowners, would surround the agora. He explored the evolution of the city block, from the square shape in Greece to the longer rectangular shape in later Roman cities. The classical Greek and Roman urban planning method can be seen in a variety of city plans from the Medieval period, the Renaissance, and the Industrial Revolution.

Prof. Dennis made an important distinction in the definition of cities which is crucial for creating a plan that is classically urban. The terms “city” and “urban” are not interchangeable, despite their general usage as synonyms. In order for a city to be urban, the blocks must be continuous in their building structures. Furthermore, the city must have neighborhoods that serve a distinct purpose, such as the Financial District or the Meatpacking District. This can be seen throughout New York on most blocks, where the buildings continuously touch one another and the skyline is fluid. An example of a city that would not be considered urban is Dubai. This city has numerous skyscrapers, but the blocks are not continuous and have gaps between buildings.

The second half of the lecture discussed in detail the history of Boston and how the city’s plan has changed since its settlement. Prof. Dennis presented on the North End neighborhood of Boston and its transformation in the 20th century. Due to the development of the Central Artery through the neighborhood, many buildings were demolished. This also left the neighborhood cut off and isolated from the rest of the city.

This brief history provided participants with an understanding and knowledge of both classical urban city planning and the city plan of Boston. With this in mind, Prof. Dennis then instructed the participants to redesign the North End with classical elements. He provided inspiration with works from previous students who had taken on this challenge. They were only provided with the outline of the buildings that remained after the demolition of the neighborhood. The urban plan was then to be drawn freehanded. This task allowed the participants to understand the difficulties of city planning in a space that has already been carved out, as well as offer them creative license to explore the elements of classical urbanism.

Prof. Dennis ended the course with a review of the participants’ work, offering invaluable critique on each piece. All who attended left the course with a significantly expanded understanding of classical and traditional urbanism, as well as its application today.

Tags: continuing education