The Renaissance and Baroque Town Planning

THE RENAISSANCE AND BAROQUE TOWN PLANNINGTHE BAROQUE TOWN PLANNING • The Baroque town planning was prevalent in the 17th century A.D. • The Baroque city plan appeared simultaneously with the emergence of strong states. • The strength & importance of the state dictates the need for walls of military gracis around baroque cities to protect them from strong enemies. • These cities had various spaces pre-allocated for different purposes. ZONING • Strict zoning • Land use is divided into several functions. • Public versus private and residential versus industrial are common trends in spatial layout. • The purpose of a baroque layout is to display the city’s power and strength, resulting in the construction of monuments. • Designed to put people in their place utilizing hierarchy of space and separation of the classes. • The center, usually public and commercial, is the largest and most important section. • A radial street network extends from the center and as a section of the city’s distance from the focus increases, its importance decreases. • The physical Urban Planning of Venice remains very similar to the layout it acquired in the Imperial Age. . the size of public space decreases. • Squares & parks also display a hierarchy of space: as sections are pushed farther from the center.• The government district is usually in the center square attached to it. home of the ship building that was once Venice’s primary industry. (In a winding fashion). • Green space and open space are found throughout the city and each section is built around its own square. is located on the farthest edge of the island away from the administrative and residential districts. in a Baroque city model. while the poorest residential sections are forced to the edge of the city. • It is from this focal point that the city began to radiate. • Venice can be compared to a Baroque city model as long as the scale is kept in perspective. • The city sprouted with Doge Sebastiano Ziani creating public space in the Piazza San Marco. PLANNING • Land separation is present in the layout – the Arsenale. elite neighborhoods spring up along the wide avenues. the Piazza has always been the active focus of the city. • A relatively small clearing. m. hierarchy of space still revolved around it. • The square has bustled with merchants and natives since its creation. religious and commercial hub from the time of its construction. which housed the administrative functions (Doge’s Palace) of the Baroque era and buildings. • Although this focus was not in the exact center of the city.• The zoning becomes fuzzy as the city converts many areas to tourist functions. • Its accessible location on the Canal Grande and the waterfront made it a strategic site for administrative and trade transactions. • Destined to be the social. administrative. • Grandiose buildings and monuments define the boundaries of the Piazza. of Venice’s surface. • Lined with palazzos. • Laid out in Doge Sevastiano Ziani’s 12th century urban renewal plan. • The focus of the Baroque city can be found in the role of San Marco and its Piazza. . the square boasts the headquarters of these Venetian institututions. the main thoroughfare was only home to the elite. but not on the southern edge. the Piazza San Marco dominates less than 1000 sq. three of each side of the Canal Grande : Dorsoduro. • These districts fulfill mainly residential and commercial functions. Santa Croce. • Most of the residential districts are found in the Eastern Section of Venice. . which serves as the local center of each sesteri.THE SESTERI • The historic Center of Venice is divided into six sesteri or districts. • Each district has its own campi or square. and San Marco on the West. San Polo on the East Bank and Cannaregio. • San Marco itself is the focal point of the city and therefore the most crowded & successful. • Wealthy and poor zones are scattered throughout these neighborhoods. Castello.