unit 19 - city block

7/23/2019 Unit 19 - City Block

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Unit 19City Block

A city block, urban blockor simply block is a central elementofurban planning and urban design. A city block is the smallest areathat is surrounded by streets. City blocks are the space for buildingswithin the street pattern of a city; they form the basic unit of a citysurban fabric. City blocks may be subdivided into any number ofsmallerlots orparcels of land usually in private ownership, though insome cases, it may be other forms of tenure. City blocks are usuallybuilt-up to varying degrees and thus form the physical containers orstreet walls of public space. Most cities are composed of a greater orlesser variety of sizes and shapes of urban block. For example, manypre-industrial cores of cities in Europe, Asia and the Middle-east tendto have irregularly shaped street patterns and urban blocks, whilecities based on grids have much more regular arrangements.

In most cities of the world that were planned, rather thandeveloping gradually over a long period of time, streets are typicallylaid out on a grid plan, so that city blocks are square or rectangular.Using the perimeter block development principle, city blocks are

developed so that buildings are located along the perimeter of theblock, with entrances facing the street, and semi-private courtyards inthe rear of the buildings. This arrangement is intended to providegood social interaction among people. Since the spacing of streets ingrid plans varies so widely among cities, or even within cities, it isimpossible to generalize about the size of a city block. However, asreference points, the standard block in Manhattan is about 264 by900 feet; and in some U.S. cities standard blocks are as wide as660 feet, while for example, the city blocks in the central city grid ofMelbourne, Australia are 200 by 100 m. In most areas, cities havegrown in a more amorphous manner rather than being planned fromthe outset. For this reason, an even pattern of square or rectangular

city blocks is very uncommon in much of Europe. Following theexample ofPhiladelphia, New York City adopted the CommissionersPlan of 1811 for a more extensive grid plan. In much of the UnitedStates and Canada, the addressing systems follow a block and lotnumber system, in which each block of a street is allotted 100building numbers. (AfterWikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia)

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_planninghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_designhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streethttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lot_(real_estate)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parcelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grid_planhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_block#Perimeter_block%23Perimeter_blockhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_block#Perimeter_block%23Perimeter_blockhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buildinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buildinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streethttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courtyardhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_interactionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commissioners'_Plan_of_1811http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melbourne%2C_Australiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commissioners'_Plan_of_1811http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commissioners'_Plan_of_1811http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grid_planhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Address_(geography)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_numbering#Block_numbershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_numbering#Block_numbershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_planninghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_designhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streethttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lot_(real_estate)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parcelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grid_planhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_block#Perimeter_block%23Perimeter_blockhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buildinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streethttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courtyardhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_interactionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commissioners'_Plan_of_1811http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melbourne%2C_Australiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commissioners'_Plan_of_1811http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commissioners'_Plan_of_1811http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grid_planhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Address_(geography)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_numbering#Block_numbershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_numbering#Block_numbers


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Vocabularybe intended to (v.) = a fi menit scity block= cvartalcore = central()courtyard= curteentrance = intrareeven pattern = model regulatface (v.) = a sta cu faa

from the outset= de la nceputgrid plan= plan urbanisticgrow(v.) = a cretehowever= totuiin the rear of= n spatelesince = deoarece, ntructspacing= distanarestreet pattern = model stradalstreet wall= perete stradalsurrounded= nconjurat()though = cu toate c, deiurban design = design urbanurban fabric= estura urbanurban planning= planificare urbanistic

Exercises1. Answer the questions.

- What is a city block?- How can city blocks be divided?- How are city blocks usually built up?- What are most cities composed of?

- Is it possible to generalize about the size of a city block?- How large is thestandard block in Manhattan?- Why is an even pattern of square or rectangular city blocks

very uncommon in much ofEurope?- What did New York adopt and when following the example of

Philadelphia?

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courtyardhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grid_planhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grid_planhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_designhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_planninghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commissioners'_Plan_of_1811http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commissioners'_Plan_of_1811http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courtyardhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grid_planhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_designhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_planninghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commissioners'_Plan_of_1811http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europe


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2. Group the following words relating to buildings and other largestructures that people build, as in the model.

bar barracks blockhouse bomb shelter bunker bus station cell control tower fort gas station guardhouse hangar hostel hotel inn jail jailhouse lodge lookout militarybase motel parking lot petrol station police station prison pub railroad station rest area restaurant station tavern terminal watchtower

Words referring to buildings

found atairports

used bythe

military

used bythe police

used bytravellers

used bytravellersfor eating

used bytravellers

forsleeping

fort

3. Fill in with the properadjectives from below.

American arterial big functional open pedestrian-friendly popular residential traditional( 2 times) urban

Super blocks were during the early and mid-20 th century, arisingfrom modernist ideas in architecture and urban planning. A superblock is much larger than a city block, with greater setback forbuildings, and is typically bounded by widely spaced, high-speed, or circulating routes. Super blocks are generally associated withsuburbs, planned cities, and the renewal of the mid-20th century;that is, in areas in which a street hierarchyhas replaced the grid.In a area of a suburb, the interior of the super block is typicallyserved by cul-de-sac roads. Urban planner Clarence Perry argued foruse of super blocks and related ideas in his neighbourhood unitplan, which aimed to organize space in a way that is more and

provided plazas and other space for residents to socialize. In the1930s, super blocks were often used in urban renewal public housingprojects in cities. In using super blocks, housing projects aimed toeliminate back alleys, which were often associated with slumconditions. Super blocks are also used when units such as railyards orhousing projects are too to fit in one block.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedestrianhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modernismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suburbhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_townhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_renewalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_hierarchyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_hierarchyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cul-de-sachttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plazahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_housinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alleyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slumhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_yardshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_yardshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Housing_projectshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Housing_projectshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedestrianhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modernismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suburbhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_townhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_renewalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_hierarchyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cul-de-sachttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plazahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_housinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alleyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slumhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_yardshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_yardshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Housing_projects


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4. Match the following.

1. alleya. a narrow street or passageway between or behind

city buildings; a path between flower beds or treesin a garden or park

2. blockb. a narrow way or passage between walls, hedges,

or fences

3. building

c. a public way or thoroughfare in a city or town,usually with a sidewalk or sidewalks; such a public

way considered apart from the sidewalks; a publicway or road along with the houses or buildingsabutting it

4. courtyard

d. a usually rectangular section of a city or townbounded on each side by consecutive streets, asegment of a street bounded by consecutive crossstreets and including its buildings and inhabitants;a large building divided into separate units, suchas apartments

5. lanee. an open space surrounded by walls or buildings,

adjoining or within a building such as a largehouse or housing complex

6. street f. something that is built, as for human habitation; astructure

5. Find errors in the text below.

Courtyard private open spaces surrounded by wall or building have been in use in residential architecture for almost as long as manhas lived in constructed dwelling. The earliest known courtyard housewere built in Iran and China and date as far back as 3000 BC.Courtyard have historically been used for many purpose includingcooking, sleeping, working, playing, gardening, and even place tokeep animal. Before courtyard, open fires were kept burning in acentral place within a home, with only a small hole in the ceilingoverhead to allow smoke to escape. Over time, these small openingwere enlarged and eventually led to the development of thecentralized open courtyard we know today. Courtyard home havebeen designed and built throughout the world with many variation inevery century.

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6. Turn the text below into the Passive Voice.

King Wally IV built the Ballyhoo castle in the 18 th century. It had along and turbulent history since then. An earthquake destroyed it in1158. The Duke of Westhumberland rebuilt it over the next century.Both the French and the Scots have conquered it. The Germansbombed it two years in a row in the Second World War. First, in 1940,the inhabitants were fortunate the British Army had evacuated thembefore the bombs fell. The following year they were not so lucky the

local fire brigade evacuated them when the first planes arrived andthe bombs killed thirty people. In 1999 The World HeritageOrganisation bought it. They use one wing as their Europeanheadquarters. Currently experts restore the other wing. The Queenwill open it to the public in 2002.

7. Match the following.

1. If I come home late, a. I always take some pills.2. If I dont eat, b. it buries it.3. If I give my dog a bone, c. I get hungry.4. If I have a headache, d. I study English.

5. If I have time, e. Im late for work.6. If I miss the eight o clock bus, f. my parents get angry.7. If Im late for work, g. my boss gets angry.8. If you want a receipt, h. press the button.

8. Rephrase the following sentences.

- Make sure you dont take the A20 in the rush hour, Tim, saidJack. Jack warned

- He fell in love with her as soon as he saw her. No sooner - I havent enjoyed myself so much in years. Its years - Its great pity you told everyone what you were up to! If only - Perhaps they didnt notice the tyre was flat. They - The violent criticism of the manager was quite unjustified.

There - There is no way he got the news f rom us as we havent

spoken. He - We are dealing with your complaint. Your complaint

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9. Make the following sentences negative paying attention to theadverbs.

- He often walks to work.- He usually smokes before breakfast.- I often cook the dinner.- Matt is always free in the evening.- Melanie usually walks the dog.- They always watch TV in the evening.

- They are generally awake at half past seven.- Tim and Ted are always willing to help.- We always take a shower in the morning.

10. Build some complex sentences containing a Subject Clauseintroduced by:

- the conjunctions that, whether;- the conjunctive pronouns who, which, what;- the conjunctive adverbs when, how, why.

Lets Laugh!A clergyman walks down a country lane and sees a young farmerstruggling to load hay back onto a cart after it had fallen off. You lookhot, my son, said the cleric. Why dont you rest a moment, and Illgive you a hand. No thanks, said the young man. My fatherwouldnt like it. Dont be silly, the minister said. Everyone is entitledto a break. Come and have a drink of water. Again the young manprotested that his father would be upset. Losing his patience, theclergyman said, Your father must be a real slave driver. Tell mewhere I can find him and Ill give him a piece of my mind! Well,replied the young farmer, hes under the load of hay.

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unit 19 - city block

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