Baroque Renaissance

THE BAROQUE TOWN

PLANNING
The Baroque town planning was prevalent in the 17th century A.D.
The Baroque city plan appeared simultaneously with the emergence of strong
states.
The strength and importance of the state dictates the need for walls or military
gracis around baroque cities to protect them from other strong enemies.
These cities had various spaces pre-allocated for different purposes.

This seminar would touch upon the following topics :

1. ZONING
2. PLANNING
3. STUDY OF VENICE

ZONING
Strict zoning

Land use is divided into several functions.

Public versus private and residential
versus industrial are common trends in the
spatial layout.
The purpose of a baroque layout is to
display the citys power and strength,
resulting in the construction of monuments.
It was also designed to put people in their
place utilizing hierarchy of space and
separation of the classes.
The center, usually public and
commercial, is the largest and most
important section.
A radial street network extends from the
center and as a section of the citys
distance from the focus increases, its
importance decreases.

This decrease in importance is illustrated

by the decreasing accessibility to the center
and its important functions.
The government district is usually in the
center square or attached to it; elite
neighborhoods spring up along the wide
avenues, while the poorest residential
sections are forced to the edge of the city.
Green space and open space are found
throughout the city and each section is built
around its own square.

Squares and parks also display a

hierarchy of space: as sections are pushed
farther from the center, the size of the public
space decreases.

The physical Urban Planning of Venice remains very similar to the layout it acquired
in the Imperial Age.
The city sprouted with Doge Sebastiano Ziani creating public space in the Piazza
San Marco.
It is from this focal point that the city began to radiate (in a winding fashion), in a
Baroque city model.
Venice can be compared to a Baroque city model as long as the scale is kept in
perspective.

PLANNING
The measured hierarchy of space and the impressive symbols of state power were
confined to limited space.
Open space, though not abundant because of the citys small size, was set aside as
the six sesteri developed around squares.
Gardens are also present along the outskirts of the city.
Land separation is present in the layout the Arsenale, home of the ship building
that was once Venices primary industry, is located on the farthest edge of the island,
away from the administrative and residential districts.

The zoning becomes fuzzy as the city

converts many areas to tourist functions.
The focus of the Baroque city can be found
in the role of San Marco and its Piazza,
which housed the administrative functions
(Doges Palace) of the Baroque era and
several impressive monuments and
buildings.
Although this focus was not in the exact
center of the city, but on the southern edge,
hierarchy of space still revolved around it.
For example, the Ghetto was placed in
Cannaregio, the northern most district of
Venice, signifying the inferior status of the
Jews in relation to the ruling class.
If thought of as a wide avenue with direct
access to the center, the Canal Grande
reflects both the hierarchy of space and the
separation of classes.
Lined with palazzos, the main thoroughfare
was only home to the elite.

WINGED LION,
Symbol of Venice

SAN MARCO,
Venice

A relatively small clearing, the Piazza

San Marco dominates less than 1,000
square meters of Venices surface.
Still, it is the largest public open space
in Venice.
Laid out in Doge Sebastiano Zianis
12th century urban renewal plan, the
Piazza has always been the active focus
of the city.
The square has bustled with merchants
and natives since its creation.
Its accessible location on the Canal
Grande and the waterfront made it a
strategic site for administrative and
trade transactions.
Grandiose buildings and monuments
define the boundaries of the Piazza.
Destined to be the social,
administrative, religious and commercial
hub from the time of its construction, the

AN ARTISTS
IMPRESSION OF THE
CANAL,
Venice

THE SESTERI
The Historic Center of Venice is
divided into six sesteri or districts,
three on each side of the Canal
Grande : Dorsoduro, Santa Croce, San
Polo on the East Bank and
Cannaregio, Castello, and San Marco
on the West.
These districts fulfill mainly
residential and commercial functions.
Most of the residential districts are
found in the Eastern section of
Venice.
Wealthy and poor zones are
scattered throughout these
neighborhoods.
Each district has its own campi or
square, which serves as the local
center of each sesteri.
San Marco itself is the focal point of
the city and therefore the most