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THE THEORY OF THE CITY AS OBJECT

by Professor Bill Hillier

This very detailed research paper by Professor Bill Hillier discusses the factors that determinethe growth and development of an urban environment. He discusses the principles that influence

city growth and its patterns, categorically; supported by immense amounts of varieties of data

that he provides.

As a starting point, movement which is indeed a major defining factor is discussed.Movement is the force which gives direction to the growth of the system in question. This has

underlying factors in what is generally called, the function of a space i.e. on an urban level,

market places, ports, recreational spots, etc. Therefore, if function provides the line of growth,

it is movement that dictates the length of the growth.

Developing on the relationship thus explored, between function to movement; the other

possibility, i.e. the vice versa is immediately put forth and discussed. The relationship betweenmovement and function is discussed as also one which has its own implications on city life or the

development of it. Thus, highlighting how movement patterns can also dictate the functional

zoning of a city, just the way functional zoning dictates movement patterns. Also, it notes how itis not solely socioeconomic factors that define the development or even the layout of the city; it

is also, what he terms spatial laws. These, we hereby find, are part of how God has designed us

humans; and each has their own sense of space and their sensibilities and sensitivities towards it.These sensibilities and sensitivities are further influenced and fine-tuned by cultural norms,

contextual responses and of course personal preferences. As a result, each city becomes a unique

unit representative of these processes that vary from place to place.

Further on, the professor looks at these relationships in pertinence to what is observed on mapsof the various cites in the diverse contexts that he explores. As a starting point, the ideal axialmap is explored and then compared with radial structured cities and those with a more sprawling

nature; such as the Atlanta in comparison to Hamedan in Iran. There are clear differences in

culture on a local as well as a collective level that are reflected in these maps of cities. The levelof permeability allowed as well as the levels of preferred privacy are clearly reflected in these

maps.

Another very important factor that is discussed, is the growth of settlements. This is a factor

which may in other cases be ignored but since it has direct impact on the population of a city, it

is one which is of utmost importance as it directly affects all that is discussed above, i.e.

movement patterns, functional development and with effects that multiply. The axial or radial

nature of a city multiplies and in relation to that multiplication we see how shorter lines emergeand either add to the number of shorter lines or make the existing long lines longer.

In progression from here, the relationship between these many short and long lines and the grid

that they form in discussed. Despite cultural variance, it is common to have what is called anintegration core i.e. a part of the whole grid which not only links all the grids; it also forms a

sort of nucleus for the city. On studying other cities such as Tokyo and Venice which are

topographically complex, we find the presence of a deformed wheel organization. This, in

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essence is a variant of an integration core that was seen in previous cities. Also, an interesting

varying of sizes of settlements is noted in relation to the wheel just mentioned. More

specifically, the centre of the wheel is signified by smaller but denser settlements, whereas, theout-skirts of the wheel are inhabited by sparse larger settlements; interestingly enough, the areas

that lie between both the extremes contain settlements that are also such, neither too large or

small, nor too sparse or dense.

To the contrary, the processes that generate these growth patterns, are dual. This in turn,

simultaneously generates variants in terms of geometry and language; simply by virtue of itsduality. What is interesting about the variants is the fact that they exist on a local level and the

invariants exist on a global level. These dualities therefore, begin reflecting on a map the

differences between socio-cultural spatial development and spatial development that result due to

micro-economic factors.

Cities or settlements that have grown without any prior planning on paper or with organization,such as Paranoa and Serowe, also very interestingly reflect a presence of an integration core

yet with the absence of the discipline of an underlying grid. Simplifying this integration core to a

unit, arrangements and principles are applied to this unit. Principles discussed include;contiguity, centrality, extension and that of compactness. These are further narrowed down to

two principles , i.e. centrality and compactness. The law of centrality basically addresses thepreservation of interacessibility between the built forms, and the maintenance of these as the

settlement grows. The principle of compactness suggests other strategies to achieve similarresults, i.e. through circular or ring organization.

In conclusion, Hillier discusses the cognition related to the development and experience of a city.

This is done both in relation to movement patterns as well as socio-cultural and minor-economicfactors. It is interesting to note the level of complexity of human perception and how that as well

as the nuances of our daily life are reflected in the maps of our cities and our spatial sensitivities.

Qurat-ul-Ain Shamim