ADAMSON UNIVERSITY

College of Architecture

SITE PLANNING 1

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY & 20 QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS

INFLUENCES ON URBAN DEVELOPMENT

Submitted by: Group 1

ABAD, AROL GEM C.
AGCAOILI, DANIEL C.
ASUQUE, KARSTEN A.
BALLESTER, MHAR JOVEN G.
BAUTISTA, SANDER PAUL S.

Submitted to:
Arch. Lauro F. Ador

INFLUENCES ON URBAN DEVELOPMENT

1. HISTORICAL INFLUENCES
a. Agriculture- First human settlement began as collections of people in
agricultural pursuits rather than leading a nomadic life. As surplus food
became available and ceremony, religion and leadership began to develop,
the embryonic form of the city was apparent. Living quarters surrounded the
achetypes of the granary, the place where the food was stored, the temple,
where the ceremonial rites and social interaction took place, and the palace
where the administration of the village was conducted.
b. Security- Villages were often walled in or otherwise situated for protection
from other village populations or nomadic tribes seeking to take the food they
could not produce.
c. Invention of Gun Powder- The usual Medieval Fortification of the high walls
was no longer sufficient to protect the city. The Star-shaped city developed
with regularly spaces bastions at points around the wall so the entire
enclosure and all approaches to the city could be defended before the enemy
could get closer enough for their cannons to be effective. Streets radiated out
from the center, thus following the defense to be controlled from one point
and making it possible to easily move troops and materials.
d. Renaissance- City Planning took on greater importance. Although military
and defense considerations were still important, planners, paid more attention
to the aesthetics of urban design. City plans combined symmetrical order
radial layout of streets focused on point of interest, the primary organization of
the radial boulevards was overlaid on a grid of secondary streets or over an
existing road system.
e. Industrial Revolution of 18th and 19th Century- In England, it brought about
fundament change in the design of cities. The factory system required that the
work force be close to the factory and the source of power and transportation.
As production expanded, so did the population of the factor towns. The
emphasis was on trading out the goods and the cities soon became
overcrowded, filthy, and devoid of open spaces and recreational activities.
Although, the industrial revolution began in England, it rapidly spread to
Northwestern Europe and the Northeastern of United States, carrying the with
it the resulting ills of its environment.
2. DEVELOPMENT PATTERNS
a. Expanding Grid- A simple pattern which the city is formed formed at the
junction of two roads and laid out in the prevalent pattern exemplified in the
initial plan of Philadelpia. Growth simple follows the grid pattern until some
natural feature, limiting population or economics stop it. The strict grid pattern
is usually characteristics of smaller cities. Larger United States metropolitan

areas follow other patterns but are almost always infilled with some type of
grid.
b. Star Pattern- Revolves around the urban core and development follows
radiating spokes of main highways or mass transit routes. Higher density
tends to form around the spokes with lower density development in between.
c. Field Pattern- it has no central force or apparent overall organization
scheme. Development takes place in an amorphous network of highway and
natural features. Los Angeles is a typical example of this type of pattern.
d. Satellite Pattern- There is a central urban core with other major cores
surrounding it, the central core is linked to other core with major highways,
and often the outer cores are connected with road system called beltway. It is
then possible to travel from the center or around the city without having to go
through the core. The outer cores often begin as major shopping areas,
peripheral business centers or transportation centers. Houston is an example
of this type of patterns.
e. Megalopolis- The ultimate in urban development. Here, two or more major
urban centers near each other grow together as the space between is
developed. Many section of the Northeastern United States and Southern
California can be considered a megalopolis.
3. THE EFFECTS OF DEVELOPMENT PATTERNS ON SOCIAL BEHAVIOR
a. Density- One characteristic of human settlement that has received a great
deal of attention. It refers to the number of the people per unit area. for
example, a city might referred to as having a density of 5000 people per
hectare. Density refers to a ratio, not the total of people or how they are
distributed. The 5000 people could be housed in a few high-rise buildings in
one part of the land parcel.
b. Territoriality- It is a fundamental part of animal behavior (human included).
When someone personalizes a desk at the office with family picture, plants,
individual cofe mugs and the ike, he or she is staking a claim to a personal
territory, small and temporary as it may be in a more permanent living
environment, such as a house or an apartment, territorial boundaries are
provided by walls, fences, and property lines. Often, boundaries are more
subtle. A street, a row of trees or something very small such as a change in
level may serve to define a persons or groups territory.
c. Diversity- It is the final principle concerning the effects of development
patterns on social behavior. The human and animal needs a diverse and
stimulating environment. In a monotonous urban setting, community or
building, people tend to become depressed, become irritated or suffer other
type of negative influences. Over a long period of time, living in a dull, nonstimulating environment can even affect personality development.