Athens, Greece. Drone photo by @spathumpa

Types of Urban Blocks: Different Ways of Occupying the City

由专筑网NJY编译

我们可以把城市街区定义为一座城市中由各种形状的街道划分而成的城市空间，这些城市空间随后又被细分成一块块建设用地。城市街区这种图形元素通常由城市管理者根据其对当前城市设计的看法以及对城市未来的期望来进行规划。一个城市街区可以是由一个单独的建筑构成，或是由若干个大小不一、彼此分离的建筑共同组成，这些建筑通常置身于自然或是复杂的城市迷宫当中。虽然城市街区的组成方式多种多样，但有一点是毋庸置疑的，那就是每个街区都是整个城市肌理的基本构成单元，对于我们研究城市公共空间和私人空间的关系有着重要作用。

以下是一些典型的城市街区类型，附以航拍照片。

Urban blocks can be defined as the space within the street pattern of a city that is subdivided into land lots for the construction of buildings. This morphological element has been shaped according to the current views on urban design and its expectations over the centuries. It may consist of a single building structure or an area with several buildings that vary in size, detached structures surrounded by nature, or intricate labyrinths. Regardless of the composition, an urban block is the basic unit of a city's urban fabric and plays an important role in mediating between the public and private spheres.
Here are some typologies of urban blocks illustrated by incredible aerial photographs.


传统街区

传统城市街区的形成主要是经过长时期的演变发展，最终形成一个复杂的城市系统。这种城市街区主要由巨大的、高密度的以及形态体量高度一致的建筑体块构成，其建筑空间与室外开放空间之间的比例通常十分悬殊。这些街区的形状和大小差异很大，这主要是因为他们是由复杂城市道路划分之后形成的城市空间。这种城市规划方式使得每个城市建筑只有一个正立面面向城市，与奥斯曼在巴黎所做的那种规整的、具有标志性的城市改造方案截然不同。

Traditional Block
A traditional block is an urban organism developing gradually over a long period of time. It is characterized by a large, dense, and uniform mass resulting in a disproportionate relationship between the built environment and the open spaces. These blocks can vary in shape and size since they are usually formed according to the space that is left from the street pattern. This creates an urban architecture that is restricted to the front facade, which may or may not have more regular arrangements and sizes, as seen in Haussmann's emblematic renovation of Paris.


西班牙，Toledo
Toledo, Spain


Toledo, Spain. Drone photo by @zekedrone


法国，巴黎
Paris, France


Paris, France. Created by @dailyoverview, source imagery @maxartechnologies


希腊，雅典
Athens, Greece


Athens, Greece. Drone photo by @spathumpa


巴西，贝洛奥里藏特
Belo Horizonte, Brazil


Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Created by @overview Source imagery: @maxartechnologies

塞尔达的巴塞罗那规划方案

巴塞罗那这座城市值得我们的特别关注，塞尔达在这座城市的设计中引入了一种伟大的城市类型，在建筑和街道之间建立了一种全新的关系。塞尔达的规划方案吸收了方格网城市布局的优点，包括城市交通、地形以及建造等方面，他设计了一个113米乘113米的矩形网格，同时在方形的每个顶点设计了一个半径为20米的倒角。巴塞罗那这座城市在城市规划的历史上树立了一座全新的里程碑，从此刻开始，城市街区不在仅仅只是整个城市布局中的附属品，而真正成为了整个城市布局结构的主角。

虽然如此，塞尔达的规划方案并没有被完整地贯彻到具体实施方案当中，具体实施方案主要采用了其方案中的城市路网设计。根据塞尔达的方案，每个街区内部都会包含一个内向开放空间，而实施方案仅保留了三分之一的原有面积，同时随着时间的推进，这些空间逐渐被大量的建筑占据。

Cerdá's Plan for Barcelona
Barcelona deserves special attention thanks to the remarkable typology introduced by Ildefons Cerdà in which he establishes a new relationship between buildings and streets. His plan acknowledges the advantages of the grid pattern in terms of circulation, topology, and construction, resulting in a 113m by 113m square module with a 20m chamfer. This typology sets a milestone in the history of urbanism because, from this moment on, the block stops being just a collateral feature, as previously mentioned, to become the main element of urban composition and structure.
However, his plan was not thoroughly implemented, focusing mainly on the road network. The blocks originally included an inner open area intended for public parks and amenities comprising 1/3 of the total surface area but, as the years went by, they were massively occupied by buildings.


西班牙，巴塞罗那
Barcelona, Spain


Barcelona, Spain. Created by @benjaminrgrant, source imagery: @digitalglobe


西班牙，瓦伦西亚
Valencia, Spain


Valencia, Spain. Created by @benjaminrgrant, source imagery: @maxartechnologies

邻里式街区

虽然塞尔达的方案并没有被完整地贯彻执行，但它对之后的邻里式街区的产生起到了启发作用。例如像阿姆斯特丹这座城市，就是这种街区类型的代表。尽管这个城市的整体规划依然是道路系统划分之后的产物，但它的设计师菲格罗亚表示他们通过在城市中创造独一无二的街角空间以及街区内部庭院，在街道和城市空间之间建立了一种全新的秩序。这些空间起初只是一些私家花园，但随着时间的推移逐渐变成公共空间，逐步影响到整个城市街区中。

Perimeter Block
Although Cerdà's plan was not executed to its full potential, it inspired the development of perimeter blocks. The city of Amsterdam, for example, is a great example of this type of block. Although they are still consequences of the road system, Figueroa (2016) states that they establish a new hierarchy of streets and urban spaces, mainly due to the unique corners and the inner courtyards, which started as private gardens and later became public spaces, increasing the permeability of the block.


荷兰，阿姆斯特丹
Amsterdam, Netherlands


Amsterdam, Netherlands. Created by @overview Source imagery: @maxartechnologies


奥地利，维也纳
Vienna, Austria


Vienna, Austria. Created by @benjaminrgrant, source imagery: @digitalglobe


瑞典，斯德哥尔摩
Stockholm, Sweden


Stockholm, Sweden. Created by @dailyoverview, source imagery: @maxartechnologies

开放式街区

开放式街区吸收了传统城市街道与街角的设计精髓，同时保持不同类型建筑之间的彼此独立性。这种城市布局为建筑带来了更多自然光和自然通风，通过在街区之间设立连通道，创造出一种更适于步行的城市环境，模糊了公共空间与私密空间之间的界线。

Open Block
An open block is essentially a hybrid element that brings together the value of the traditional street and corner but respects the autonomy of different types of buildings. This composition allows more natural lighting and ventilation to the buildings, creating a more pedestrian-friendly environment with pathways crossing through the blocks, blurring the line between public and private.


德国，柏林
Berlin, Germany


Berlin, Germany. Created by @dailyoverview, source imagery: @maxartechnologies

巨构城市

城市巨构建筑概念、对巨型构筑物以及现代技术的崇拜，至今仍不绝于耳，即使这个概念最早可以追溯到20世纪80年代。下图所示的豪华度假综合体就是这类城市的典型案例，创造出一种人造城市地貌，提供了多种不同的城市设计概念。

Megastructures
The concept of urban megastructures, exalting colossal structures and technology, continues to resonate to this day, even though it dates back to the 1980s. The luxury resort complex below serves as an example of this typology that creates an artificial topography providing different urban perceptions.


土库曼斯坦，阿瓦扎
Awaza, Turkmenistan


Awaza, Turkmenistan. Created by @overview Source imagery: @maxartechnologies


加利福尼亚，Googleplex
Googleplex, California


Googleplex, California. Created by @benjaminrgrant, source imagery: @nearmap

新城市主义

这种城市设计运动兴起于20世纪60年代，试图解决现代主义城市设计过于平铺直叙的设计方法。新城市主义提倡可步行的邻里街区形式，其中包含大量的住宅和就业类型。同时，新城市主义关注自然与人工环境的融合，提倡开发绿地和城市公园。这种特质主要体现在有机形态的城市布局结构中。

New Urbanism
This urban design movement emerged in the 1960s as an attempt to overcome the modernist schematism of city planning. New urbanism promotes walkable neighborhoods containing a wide range of housing and job types. Moreover, there is a strong concern for the integration between nature and the built environment, encouraging the development of green areas and public parks. This characteristic is reflected mainly in the organic design of the urban layout.


丹麦，哥本哈根
Copenhagen, Denmark


Copenhagen, Denmark. Created by @dailyoverview, source imagery @maxartechnologies


阿拉伯联合酋长国，迪拜
Dubai, United Arab Emirates


Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Created by @dailyoverview, source imagery: @maxartechnologies

Reference List:
FIGUEROA, Mário. Habitação coletiva e a evolução da quadra urbana [Communal housing and the evolution of the urban block]. Arquitextos, São Paulo, 2006.