Neighbourhood Concept

1. NEIGHBOURHOOD CONCEPT

3. TheNeighbourhoodunitplanininbriefistheefforttocreatearesidential
neighbourhoodtomeettheneedsoffamilylifeinaunitrelatedtothe
largerwholebutpossessingadistinctentitycharacterisedbysixfactors:
1.Achildneednotcrosstrafficstreetsonthewaytoschool.
2.Acentrallylocatedelementaryschoolwhichwillbewithineasy
walkingdistance,nomorethanoneandahalfmilefromthefarthest
dwelling.
3.Ahousewifecanwalktoashoppingcentretoobtaindailyhousehold
gifts.
4.Convenienttransportationtoandfromtheworkplace.
5.Scatteredneighbourhoodparksandplaygroundstocompriseabout
10%ofthewholearea.
6.Aresidentialenvironmentwithharmoniousarchitecture,careful
planting,centrallylocatedcommunitybuildings,andspecialinternal
streetsystemwithdeflectionofallthroughtrafficpreferablyon
thoroughfareswhichboundandclearlysetoffneighbourhood.
What is Neighbourhood Unit Plan?

4. •Theneighbourhoodconceptisarguablyoneofthemajorplanning
landmarksthatshapedtheurbanformofthetwentiethcenturycityin
manycountries.
•Coincidently,boththeneighbourhoodideaofClarenceSteinand
HenryWright,exemplifiedintheirplanforRadburn,andthe
NeighbourhoodUnitideaofClarencePerrywerepublishedin1929.
•TheurbandesignprinciplesofSteinandWrightincludedtheideaofa
superblockofresidentialunitsgroupedaroundacentralgreen,the
separationofvehiclesandpedestrians,andaroadhierarchywithcul-
de-sacforlocalaccessroads.Aclusterofsuperblockswastoforma
self-containedneighbourhood.Agroupofneighbourhoodswould
thencomprisethecity.
•ForPerrythephysicalarrangementoftheelementaryschool,small
parksandplaygrounds,andlocalshopswasthebasisofhis
neighbourhoodidea.Eachneighbourhoodwastobeaunitofthecity.

5. The Original
Neighbourhood concepts

6. The design of the Radburnneighbourhood model was in essence a
hierarchical one comprising four levels –
•Enclave
•Block
•Superblock
•Neighbourhood.
RADBURN MODEL
by Clarence Stein and Henry Wright

7. ENCLAVE
•The fundamental component
was an enclave of twenty or so
houses.
•These houses were arrayed in a
U-formation about a short
vehicular street called a
lane,reallya culde-sac court
with access to individual
garages.
•While the back of each house
faced this court the front of the
house had a garden.
Cul-De-Sac meaning Dead End

8. BLOCK
•Threeormoreoftheseenclaveswerelinedtogethertoformablock.
Enclaveswithintheblockwereseparatedfromoneanotherbya
pedestrianpathwaythatranbetweenthefrontgardensofallthe
houses.
•Theblocks,usuallyfourinnumber,werearrangedaroundthesidesofa
centralparkwayinsuchamannersoastoenclosetheopengreenspace
SUPERBLOCK
•Theclustered5blockstogetherwiththecentralparkwaycomprisedwhatStein
andWrighttermedasuperblock.

9. Neighbourhood
•Fourtosixsuperblockscommonlyformedaneighbourhoodthat
wasboundedbymajorroadsornaturalfeatures.
•Atoneendoftheparkwaytherecouldbeasmallschoolwith
communityrooms.Roadsintheneighbourhoodweretobe
hierarchical-majorthroughtrafficroadstobordereach
neighbourhood,distributorroadstosurroundeachsuperblock,
andculs-de-sactoprovideaccesstoindividualpropertylots.
•Steinemphasizedthattheprimegoalwastodesignatownfor
theautomobileage.Infactthetitleonthedrawingofthetown
planwasAtownforthemotorage(Stein,1928).

11. OVERLAPPING NEIGHBOURHOODS
•Although Stein and Wright
considered neighbourhoods as
each being relatively self-
contained they arranged them in
an overlapping manner to support
joint use of facilities such as
hospitals, high schools, and
theatres.
•They visualized the
neighbourhood as forming the
building block of the city whereas
previously the lot and the city
were the basis for town design.

12. Conclusion
•To their minds there should be a three level
hierarchy consisting of neighbourhood, town, and
region.
•They believed, that future urban development
should be based on the regional city, a constellation
of smaller-sized towns tied together by a parkway
or open highway.

13. NEIGHBOURHOOD UNIT OF CLARENCE PERRY
•Chicago-trainedsociologistClarenceArthurPerry(1872–1944)became
oneoftheprincipaltheoristsofandadvocatesforthetraditional
neighbourhoodasabasisfortheplanningofnewtownsandurban
areasandfortheredevelopmentofblightedslums.
•Hisadvocacyofthe“neighbourhoodunit”asaprincipleelementof
planningwasbasednotonlyonhisacademicinterests,butalsoonhis
directexperienceassociologist-in-residencefortheRussellSage
Foundation’smodelgardensuburbofForestHillGardensinNewYork,
designedbyFrederickLawOlmsted,andGrosvenorAtterbury.

14. •Perryidentifiedsixneighbourhoodunitdesignprinciples.
•First,theunitwastobeideallyashapeinwhichallsideswere
fairlyequidistantfromthecentre,anditssizewastobefixed.
•Secondly,acentralneighbourhoodorcommunitycentrewasto
containvariousinstitutionalsites,includingaschool,grouped
roundacentralgreenspace.
•Thirdly,localshopsorshopsandapartmentsweretobelocated
attheoutercornersoftheneighbourhood.
•Fourthly,scatteredsmallparksandopenspaces,locatedineach
quadrantoftheneighbourhood,weretoform10percentofthe
totalarea.
•Fifthly,arterialstreetsweretoboundeachsideofthe
neighbourhoodwhile,
•sixthly,thelayoutoftheinternalstreetwastobeacombination
ofcurvilinearanddiagonalroadstodiscouragethroughtraffic.
Vehicularandpedestriantrafficwastobesegregated.

16. •Perry’sconceptoftheneighbourhoodwasasarelativelyself-
containedbuildingblockofthecity,hencetheadditionofthe
wordunittohisconcept.
•Heidentifiedfoururbanlocationswheretheideacouldbe
appliednewsitesinthesuburbs,vacantsitesinthecentralarea,
predominantlyapartmentdistricts,andcentralareasthathad
suffereddeteriorationandrequiredrebuilding.
•Helaterrecognizedthatlandassemblageintheexistingbuilt-up
areasofcitiestocreateneighbourhoodswasimpracticaland
suggestedamodifiedprocessofeminentdomain(government
righttotakeprivatelandforpublicbenefitwithjust
compensationthroughtheprocessofcondemnation)beapplied
intheassemblageofneighbourhoodunitsites.

17. Comparison of design principles
•Stein and Wright, along with Perry, agreed that the neighbourhood was to
have a limited or fixed size determined by the population needed to
support an elementary school.
•Other similarities between their two models were defining the
neighbourhood by 6 means of boundaries, the inclusion of a significant
amount of open space, a neighbourhood centre that would include the
school, and a road system that was safe for pedestrians and did not allow
through traffic.
•A critical distinction between the Radburnmodel of Stein and Wright and
Perry’s idea was the kind of neighbourhood boundary each envisaged.
Although Perry as well as Stein and Wright used arterial streets to form
the neighbourhood boundary, Stein and Wright preferred the use of
natural forms where possible.

18. •Anotherdifferencebetweenthetwomodelswasthemaximum
walkingdistanceseachproposed-0.8kmintheRadburn
neighbourhoodand0.4kmintheNeighbourhoodUnitmodel.
•Furtherdistinctionswerethesuperblockwithitscentralgreen,the
separationofstreetsandpedestrianpaths,andtheroadhierarchyof
theRadburnmodel.
•AnotherdifferencewasthatPerryenvisagedtheneighbourhoodasa
separateurbanUnit.Whenanumberofunitswereamalgamatedthey
wouldformthecity.SteinandWright,ontheotherhand,conceived
theRadburnneighbourhoodsasoverlappingoneanotherand
groupedintodistrictstosupportlarge-scalefacilities.

19. Neighborhood-unit principles
•Size.Aresidentialunitdevelopmentshouldprovidehousing
forthatpopulationforwhichoneelementaryschoolis
ordinarilyrequired,itsactualareadependingupon
populationdensity.
•Boundaries.Theunitshouldbeboundedonallsidesby
arterialstreets,sufficientlywidetofacilitateitsbypassingby
allthroughtraffic.
•Openspaces.Asystemofsmallparksandrecreations
spacesshouldbeprovided,plannedtomeettheneedsof
theparticularneighbourhood.
•Institutionsites.Sitesfortheschoolandotherinstitutions
havingservicespherescoincidingwiththelimitsoftheunit
shouldbesuitablygroupedaboutacentralpoint,or
commonarea.

20. Internalstreetsystem.Theunitshouldbeprovidedwitha
specialstreetsystem,eachhighwaybeingproportionedtoits
probabletrafficload,andthestreetnetasawholebeing
designedtofacilitatecirculationwithintheunitandto
discourageitsusebythroughtraffic.Toofferaclearpictureof
eachoftheseprinciples,thefiguresillustrateplansand
diagramsinwhichtheprincipleshavebeenapplied.
Localshops.Oneormoreshoppingdistricts,adequateforthe
populationtobeserved,shouldbelaidoutinthe
circumferenceoftheunit,preferablyattrafficjunctionsand
adjacenttosimilardistrictsofadjoiningneighbourhoods.

21. LOW-COST SUBURBAN DEVELOPMENT

22. Characterofdistrict.Theplanshowninpreviousslideisbaseduponanactualtract
oflandintheoutskirtsoftheBoroughofQueens.
Populationandhousing.Thelotsubdivisionprovides822Singlefamilyhouses,236
doublehouses,36rowhousesand147apartmentsuites,accommodationsfora
totalof1,241families.Attherateof4.93personsperfamily,thiswouldmeana
populationof6,125andaschoolenrollmentof1,021pupils.Forthewholetract
theaveragedensitywouldbe7.75familiespergrossacre.

23. •Openspaces.Theparks,playgrounds,smallgreensandcirclesinthe
tracttotal17acres,or10.6percentofthetotalarea.
•Communitycenter.Thepivotalfeatureofthelayoutisthecommon,
withthegroupofbuildingsthatfaceuponit.Theseconsistofthe
schoolhouseandtwolateralstructuresfacingasmallcentralplaza.One
ofthesebuildingsmightbedevotedtoapubliclibraryandtheotherto
anysuitableneighbourhoodpurpose.Sitesareprovidedfortwo
churches,oneadjoiningtheschoolplaygroundandtheotherata
prominentstreetintersection.
•Shoppingdistrict.Smallshoppingdistrictsarelocatedateachofthe
fourcornersofthedevelopment.Thestreetsfurnishingaccesstothe
storesarewidenedtoprovideforparking,andatthetwomore
importantpointstherearesmallmarketsquares,whichafford
additionalparkingspaceandmoreopportunityforunloadingspacein
therearofthestores.Thetotalareadevotedtobusinessblocksand
marketplazasamountsto7.7acres.
•Streetsystem.Incarryingouttheunitprinciple,theboundarystreets
havebeenmadesufficientlywidetoserveasmaintrafficarteries.One
oftheboundingstreetsis160feetwide,andtheotherthreehave
widthsof120feet.Eachofthesearterialhighwaysisprovidedwitha
centralroadwayforthroughtrafficandtwoserviceroadwaysforlocal
trafficseparatedbyplantingstrips.

24. NEIGHBORHOOD
UNIT FOR AN INDUSTRIAL
SECTOR
Plan on the right is a sketch of the kind of
layout, which might be devised for a
district in the vicinity of factories and
railways.

25. Functionaldispositions.Theabovefeaturesdictatedtheemploymentofa
tree-likedesignforthestreetsystem.Itstrunkrestsupontheelevated
station,passesthroughthemainbusinessdistrict,andterminatesatthe
communitycenter.
Housingdensity.isintendedtosuggestmainlyanarrangementofthe
variouselementsofaneighbourhoodandisnotofferedasafinishedplan.
Thestreetlayoutisbaseduponahousingschemeprovidingfor2,000
families,ofwhich68percentareallottedtohouses,somesemi-detached
andsomeinrows;and32percenttoapartmentsaveraging800square
feetofgroundareapersuite.Onthebasisof4.5personsinhousesand
4.2insuites,thetotalpopulationwouldbearound8,800people.
Recreationspaces.Theseconsistofalargeschoolyardandtwo
playgroundssuitablefortheyoungerchildren,groundsaccommodating
ninetenniscourts,andaplayfieldadaptedeitherforbaseballorsoccer
football.
Communitycenter.Theeducational,religiousandciviclifeofthe
communityisprovidedforbyagroupofstructures,centrallylocatedand
disposedsoastofurnishanattractivevistaforthetrunkstreetanda
pivotalpointforthewholelayout.

26. Shoppingdistricts.Themostimportantbusinessareais,ofcourse,around
themainportalandalongthesouthernarterialhighway.Forgreater
convenienceandincreasedexposuresasmallmarketsquarehasbeen
introduced.

27. APARTMENT-HOUSE UNITS

29. Population.Onthebasisoffive-storyandbasementbuildingsand
allowing1,320squarefeetpersuite,thisplanwouldaccommodate2,381
families.Counting4.2personsperfamily,thetotalpopulationwould
number10,000individuals.
Environment.Thegenerallocalityisthatsectionwheredowntown
businessestablishmentsandresidencesbegintomerge.Onesideofthe
unitfacesontheprincipalstreetofthecityandthiswouldbedevotedto
generalbusinessconcerns.Atheaterandabusinessblock,penetratedby
anarcade,wouldserveboththeresidentsoftheunitandthegeneral
public.
Streetsystem.Widestreetsboundtheunit,whileitsinteriorsystemis
brokenupintoshorterhighwaysthatgiveeasycirculationwithintheunit
butdonotrununinterruptedlythroughit.
Openspaces.Thelanddevotedtoparksandplaygroundsaveragesover
oneacreper1,000persons.Ifthespaceinapartmentyardsisalso
counted,thisaverageamountsto3.17acresper1,000persons.
Community center. Around a small common are grouped a school,two
churches, and a public building. The last might be a branch public library, a
museum, a “little theater,” or a fraternal building. In any case it should be
devoted to a local community use.

30. FIVE-BLOCK APARTMENT-HOUSE UNIT

31. Locality.Theplanshowninpreviousslideisputforwardasasuggestionof
thetypeoftreatmentwhichmightbegiventocentralresidentialareasof
highlandvaluesdestinedforrebuildingbecauseofdeteriorationorthe
sweepofarealestatemovement.Theblockschosenforthegroundsiteare
200feetwideand670feetlong,alengththatisfoundinseveralsectionsin
Manhattan.
GroundPlan.Thedimensionsoftheplotbetweentheboundarystreetsare
650feetby1,200feet,andthetotalareaisapproximately16
acres.

32. Accommodations.Thecapacityofthebuildingsisabout1,000families,
withsuitesrangingfromthreetofourteenroomsinsize,themajorityof
thensuitableforfamilyoccupancy.Inadditiontherewouldberoomfora
hotelfortransients,anelementaryschool,anauditorium,agymnasium,a
swimmingpool,handballcourts,lockerroomsandotherathleticfacilities.
Thefirstfloorsofcertainbuildingsononeormoresidesoftheunitcould
bedevotedtoshops.
Height.Thebuildingsrangeinheightfromtwoandthreestoriesonthe
boundarystreetstotenstoriesintheabuttingribs,fifteenstoriesinthe
maincentralribs,andthirty-threestoriesinthetwotowers.

33. SOURCES
•URBAN PLANNING THEORY AND PRACTICE,M PRATAP RAO, Page no.
114-116.
•TIME SAVERS STANDARDS URBAN DESIGN, CLARENCE ARTHUR
PERRY,PAGE NO. 2.4.1-2.4.7
•PLANNING AND URBAN DESIGN STANDARDS
•URBAN DESIGN PRINCIPLES OF THE ORIGINAL NEIGHBORHOOD
PRINCIPLES, PAPER BY NICOLAS PATRICIOS,UNIVERSTIY OF MIAMI
•http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neighbourhood_unit

34. THANK YOU