SIGNIFICANCE
What is an Urban Block? Urban blocks in a broader sense can work as the essential settlement form of the urban tissue and organization scheme of a city. Along with streets they de ne the urban layout and in uence the way a city works. They can be exible enough to adjust to different built forms as well as to distinct sociocultural environments. Moreover, an urban block can generate a mixed-use economy while it creates social mixture of different users. Urban blocks in a broader sense can work as the essential settlement form of the urban tissue and organization scheme of a city. Along with streets they de ne the urban layout and in uence the way a city works. Additionally, they can be exible enough to adjust to different built forms as well as to distinct socio-cultural environments.
Making up the Sustainable Urban Block
Factors that make up an Urban Block
The streets, blocks, lots, and buildings are the main elements of cities’ texture. Surrounded by streets and surrounding the buildings, urban blocks invariably interact with these components dialectically, in that it can connect the network of streets and buildings, hence its signi cance in urban design. It can be said that urban blocks have the potential to de ne and create the balance between lots and streets, so that buildings and streets are considered simultaneously and in parallel with each other.
Moreover, an urban block can generate a mixed-use economy while it creates social mixture of different users. Urban blocks function as Sustainable sustainable planning tools Urban when planning focuses also in Block “The sustainable city, or more the scale of the urban context. correctly, a city that approximates to a sustainable In other words, the Community form, is a compact and exible Blocks can work e ciently only structure in which the parts Designing for in relation to the other parts of are connected to each other the city. and to the whole, with a SUSTAINABILITY clearly articulated public space” PROTECT & RESTORE DESIGN FOR LIFE DATA-DRIVEN U DESIGN FOR NATURAL RESOURCES CYCLE DECISION MAKING SAFETY
Where the urban block is the tool for urban design, the pattern of streets and squares become the result of positioning of the blocks Also, the size and shape of urban blocks contribute effectively to the formation of the character of the environment
Design Process The formation and scope of urban blocks are also effective in determining tra c patterns and visual growth parameters Additionally, the block faces respond to buildings (the internal load of blocks) and street structure (the external load of blocks). In fact block faces participate in de ning the edges and character of the street network; they act as the interface between architectural form and urban form
What makes an Urban Block?
R B A N
OPTIMIZE FOR PERFORMANCE
PROMOTE HEALTH, EQUITY, & HUMAN HABITAT
DESIGN FOR SAFETY & MOBILITY
DESIGN FOR RESILIENCE
S U S T A I N A B I L I T Y
Stormwater Network
MOVE PEOPLE NOT CARS
TECHNOLOGY IS A TOOL Active Transportation Network
DISTRIBUTE THE BENEFITS EQUITABLY
ACT NOW!
I N T E G R A T I O N
HEALTH & EQUITY
ENERGY USE NONTRANSPORT
ECOLOGY & HABITAT
WATER
F O R S U S T A I N A B I L I T Y
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Services
Built Form
Landscape
Ecology & Habitat
ENERGY & GHG
High Surface Permeability, Micro-Habitat Creation, High Vert Compl./Native Veg., Mitigating Habitat Disruption, R o b u s t E c o l o g i ca l A r e a Buffers, Non-Polluting Lighting Design.
The following are the ways the second type can be incorporated:
Sensitivity to environmental issues related to energy, e ciency and sustainability become a vital issue when addressing urbanization. Vegetation Urban Geometry Water Bodies Materials Shading These are certain urban morphological characteristics to take into consideration while designing for a Sustainable Urban Block
Robust Transit Networks, Robust Bicycle Networks, Vehicular Networks, High Land Use Mix (Macro), R o b u s t e c o l o g i c a l a r e a Compact Development (for buffers: Density/Proximity). A buffer zone is an area that insulates important habitat Small and De ned Blocks, or natural features by action High Bldg/Housing Dens, as a transition zone between High Network Conn., Macro the feature and the adjacent Parking Mgmt/Des., High land use. Land Use Mix (Micro)
Water Strategies
Multimodal Street Design, Dense and Street Activating, Building Mitigate Runoff Typologies, Micro Parking Minimize Runoff High Surface Permeability, Mgmt/Design, Platting for Extensive Green Stormwater, Densit Infrastructure (GSI), Extensive Urban Forest Canopy. Engaging Public Realm Des., Dense and Street Activating, Building Typologies, Engaged Bldg/ Urban St Relationship, High Int. Block and Ext. Connect, Micro Framework Parking Mgmt/Design
ENERGY & GHG
Sustainable Urban Block Vin fi
Roo ng and Gardens
Malmo Components
Land Use & Impervious Surface
Urban Block Framework
The urban block must be identi ed as the most i m p o r t a n t t y p o l o g i ca l element in the co m p o s i t i o n o f u r b a n spaces because as part of the urban continuum, an urban block is that singular element that is spatially and functionally optimized to support different circumstances of everyday life.
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Data Collection