Ekistics taiyaba

EKISTICS-TAIYABA RASHID F/O ARCHITECTURE & EKISTICS JAMIA MILLIA ISLAMIA

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EKISTICS

The term Ekistics was coined by Greekarchitect & urban planner KonstantinosApostolos Doxiadis in 1942.

Applies to the science of humansettlements.

Includes regional, city, community planningand dwelling design.

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BASIC PRINCIPLES OF EKISTICS

Human happiness

Unity of Purpose

Hierarchy of Functions

Four dimensions

Many scales for many masters

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FIVE ELEMENTS OF EKISTICS

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BASIC PARTS OF COMPOSITE HUMAN SETTLEMENTS

Homogeneous parts- fields;

Central parts- built-up villages;

Circulatory parts- roads & paths within thefields; and

Special parts- i.e., a monastery containedwithin the homogeneous part. 5

CLASSIFICATION OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS

Based on sizes- size of five elements &their combinations

Hamlet to Metropolitan cities

Small & sparsely spaced (rural settlementsor villages specializing in agriculture & otherprimary activities)

Large & closely spaced (urban settlementsspecializing in secondary & tertiaryactivities)

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Based on Location of Settlements- plains,mountains, coastal, etc.

Based on Relationships betweenSettlements within Space (hierarchical ornon-hierarchical)

Based on Physical Forms- form as theexpression of content, function, & structure

Based on Five Elements of HumanSettlements

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Based on Functions- which are importantto an understanding of the meaning & roleof settlements:

Reveal nature, specialisation, & raisond’etre of settlements

Based on activity (economic, social), theirperformance, or special role (asdormitories, retirement villages, etc.)

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Based on Time Dimension- age ofsettlements, their place in continuum (past,present, future), their relative static ordynamic character, the whole process oftheir growth

Based on degree of society’s consciousinvolvement in settlements creation-natural & planned settlements

Based on institutions, legislations &administration- which society has createdfor settlements

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By Ekistics Units

By Ekistics Elements

By Ekistics Functions

By Evolutionary Phases

By Factors & Disciplines

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BY EKISTICS UNITS: FOUR BASIC GROUPS

Minor shells or elementary units- man(anthropos), room, house;

Micro-settlements- units smaller than, oras small as, the traditional town wherepeople used , do & still do achieveinterconnection by walking (housegroup,small neighbourhood);

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BY EKISTICS UNITS: FOUR BASIC GROUPS

Meso-settlements- between traditionaltown & conurbation within which one cancommute daily (small polis, polis, smallmetropolis, small megalopolis, smalleperopolis, eperopolis); and

Macro-settlements- whose largestpossible expression is the Ecumenopolis.

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BY EKISTICS UNITS

Physical & Social Units

Man (as individual)- smallest unit

Space- second unit either personally owned or shared with others

Family Home- third unit

Social Unit

Group of Homes

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ANTHROPOS-1

ROOM-2

HOUSE-5

HAMLET-40

VILLAGE-250

POLIS(CITY)-75,000

SMALL POLIS-10,000

SMALL METROPOLIS-5,00,000

METROPOLIS-4 MILLION

SMALL MEGALOPOLIS-25 MILLION

MEGALOPOLIS-150 MILLION

SMALL EPEROPOLIS-750 MILLION

EPEROPOLIS-7,500 MILLION

ECUMENOPOLIS-50,000 MILLION

NEIGHBOURHOOD-1,500

EKISTIC UNITS: 15 LEVELS

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• Also calledEKISTICSLOGARITHMICSCALE (ELS).

• Units range fromMan toEcumenopoliswhich turn intofour basicgroups.

EKISTICS GRID/EKISTICS LOGARITHMIC SCALE

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EKISTICS UNITS

Ecumenopolis: The entire area of Earthtaken up by human settlements.

Megalopolis: A group of conurbations,consisting of more than 10 million peopleeach.

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EKISTICS UNITS

Tokyo: World’s largest metropolisSouth Florida

Conurbation: A group of large cities & theirsuburbs, consisting of 3 to 10 millionpeople. Also called urban agglomeration.

Metropolis: A large city & its suburbsconsisting of multiple cities & towns having 1 to3 million people.

Large City: A city with large population &many services having less than 1 million butover 3 lakhs people.

City: A city with abundant but not with asmany services as in a large city, having over1 lakh upto 3 lakhs people.

Large Town: Population of 20,000 to 1lakh.

Town: Population of 1,000 to 20,000.18

EKISTICS UNITS

Village: Generally does not have manyservices, possibly having only a smallcorner shop or post office. Population of 100to 1,000.

Hamlet: A tiny population (<100) & veryfew (if any) services, & few buildings.

Isolated dwellings: 1 or 2 buildings orfamilies with negligible services, if any.

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EKISTICS UNITS

BY EKISTICS ELEMENTS

Nature: Represents ecosystems includingwater cycle, biosystems, climatic zones, etc.

Anthropos: Constantly adapting &changing certain physical & psychologicaldiseases directly associated withurbanisation. These include obesity,respiratory elements & alienation.

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Society: Realm of society comprises allthose aspects of the urban or rural scenethat are commonly dealt with bysociologists, economists & administrators:population trends, social customs, income &occupations, & the system of urbangovernment.

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Shells: The built environment is thetraditional domain of architectural &engineering professions.

Networks: Provide glue for all systems ofurbanisation. Changes profoundly affecturban scale like advent of the rail-road, orof piped water supplies, or of the telephonewhich affect the extent, texture & densitiesof human settlements. 22


BY EVOLUTIONARY PHASES

Macro scale- nomadic, agricultural, urban,urban-industrial;

Micro scale- specific area at a limitedperiod of time.

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BY FACTORS & DISCIPLINES

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THE UNIVERSITY OF THE PUNJAB

Doxiadis was involved in the designof this new campus in Pakistan.

Used ekistic principles to create acampus he believed was built fortrue ” human scale”.

Limited the number of roads oncampus, banning them from theclassroom areas.

All the educational buildings areinterconnected to permit people towalk from one to the other.

Courtyards provide a place formeetings between people. The University of the Punjab,

Lahore, Pakistan (1959)

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DOXIADIS’ BAGHDAD

Doxiadis Associates identified Tigris as reference forestablishing a central axis of growth.

Ideal limits of the future Iraqi capital set to 3million—approximately three times larger than1958 population which suggested Baghdad’smaximum limits, defined with an elongatedrectangle orientated along the main NW-SE axis ofthe river.

Rectangular area incorporated some of existingmajor roads & suggested opening of new roads thatwould adopt a rectilinear pattern.

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DOXIADIS’ BAGHDAD

Residential sectors & subsectorsarranged according torectangular grid system,modified in middle, toaccommodate commercialdistrict.

Commercial district included oldcity centre & new commercialcentres expected to emergealong main axis of Dynapolis.

New commercial centres to abideby rectilinear logic of roadsystem & residential grid. 27Doxiadis Associates, The Master Plan for

Baghdad, Iraq, 1958.

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Plan of Community Sector in West Baghdad Model of Community Sector in West Baghdad

• “Western Baghdad Development Scheme” to house 100,000 people.• Composed of different “community sectors” of seven to ten thousand people.• Each sector provided for administrative, social, educational, health & other community

buildings, shopping centers, green areas, coffee houses, & mosques.

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• Sub-hamlets built in groups of 10 or 15 small attached houses beside a pedestrian way, at endof which was a small gossip square (an idea from Hassan Fathy, the Egyptian architect whojoined the Ekistics group in 1957).

• Doxiadis asked that term to be replaced with “community squares of first degree”.

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House Types in West Baghdad Upper-Income Housing in West Baghdad

Standardized “house types” pushed courtyards to side or back of each unit, thereby losing any oftraditional courtyards’ climatic benefits & secluded qualities.

ISLAMABAD

Unity of scale for cohesion betweenvarious elements of town. City isn’t aconglomeration of isolated’& unrelatedspaces, but one entity of interrelatedspaces. A scale measurement wasdetermined to govern elementscomposing the city (plots, streets, openspaces, squares, roads, etc.).

Unity of Expression: A system of fourhighways becomes the basic step forthe metropolitan area. These axes forma big square, which will define all futuretransportation systems & all majorfunctions within. 31

The main highways

ISLAMABAD

3 DISTINCTIVE AREAS:

(subdivided into sectors)

Islamabad proper (expansion towardsSW): Capital of nation mainlyadministrative & cultural functions.

Rawalpindi (expansion towards SW):regional centre serving industrial & commercial functions.

National Park: to retain certainagricultural functions & where sites mustbe provided for national sports centre,university, research institute, etc.(expansion towards SE). 32

The three parts of themetropolitan area.

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• Main axis through core of Islamabad :Capital Avenue.• Looks towards the Presidential Palace located on top of a hill.• Due to fixed road & location of administrative centre on a higher level, this section of

the capital – which is its brain centre and pulsating heart - will dominate the cityeven after it has expanded and fully grown along the patterns provided for.

The administrative sector withinIslamabad.

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A Community Class V for about40, 000 people.

A Community Class IV for about12,000 people.

A Community Class III forabout 3,000 people.

• Each sector (Community Class V) of Islamabad is self-contained & self-supported wrt everyday life.• Sub-divided into 3 or 4 smaller Communities (Class IV) by income groups of occupants.• Centre of sector is the civic centre, containing shopping, business and civic activities.• Each Class IV Community is subdivided into several Communities Class III, which are further

subdivided into Communities Class II.• Arrangement of functions best serves the inhabitants of each sector and with least time required

for approach.

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Pedestrian and Vehicle Traffic:• Segregated by a road system where scales of human & motor-vehicle movements differ.• Pedestrians move within human community though spatial hierarchy from small pedestrian

streets towards larger ones of a Class II Community, then to centre of a Class III Community, &so on.

• Spaces & perspectives created along way agree with same hierarchical order.• For roads leading to specific targets aesthetically related and presenting a unity of scale.• Extensive use of cul-de-sacs at end of access roads.• Pattern of motor traffic leading to houses without interfering with pedestrian-street systems.

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• Street Design-The Positive Space:Detached houses are the greatestchallenge in terms of a proper shaping ofspace.

• Houses are situated as much as possible inaccordance with the morphology of thesite.

• House Design: Plots vary from 111 sq. yardsto about 3,000 sq. yards, depending on incomegroup. Frontage dimensions of plots are lessthan their depth. Most plots are rectangular.Special efforts were made to avoid irregularplots, especially in low-income areas.

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Minimum Accommodation:• No house has less than two rooms, a kitchen, WC, & a shower room.• Sufficient space for outdoor living.• Each house has closed, semi-covered or open living spaces.• Supplied with running water & electricity, and connected with sewage system.

Low-income house (plan)

Low-income house (perspective view)

NEED TO BALANCE ELEMENTS OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS

We are dealing by necessity with:

Nature, which is being spoilt;

Man, who is continuously changing;

Society, which is changing because of man’snew needs;

Shells, which must be constructed;

Networks, which are also changing to copeup with new demands.

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EVOLUTION OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS

Phase 1: Primitive non-organised humansettlements (started with evolution of man)

Phase 2: Primitive organised settlements-Eopolis (period of villages lasted 10,000 years)

Phase 3: Static urban settlements or cities-Polis (lasted about 5,000 to 6,000 years)

Phase 4: Dynamic urban settlements-Dynapolis (lasted 200 to 400 years)

Phase 5: Universal City- Ecumenopolis (whichis now beginning)

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CONCLUSION

Study of human settlements should becomprehensive and have an interdisciplinaryscope related to five ekistics elements.

Any study of settlements shall refer to ekisticsunits of scale from man to Ecumenopolis, thefifteen levels in ekistics logarithmic scale.

Time dimension must be integrated in analysisand design of human settlements from past topresent to distant future.

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CONCLUSION

The scientific method shall be used in asystematic treatment of human settlements,following the models, concepts, principles,values & postulations of ekistics.

City must be treated as a dynamic settlementfor which the concept of Dynapolis allows forgrowth & change.

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REFERENCES

Classnotes

Time Saver Standards for Urban Design by Watson, Plattus,Shibley

Metropolitan Problems by S. Miles

Information & Communication Technologies, Society & HumanBeings: Theory & Framework by Haftor & Mirijamdotter.

Basic ekistic principles_word: pdf

Ekistics_the_science_of_human_settlements:pdf

W.A. Howard, Ekistics

Journal of Planning History by Panayiota Pyla

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ekistics

http://www.csiss.org/classics/content/36 42

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ekistics

http://www.csiss.org/classics/content/36

Ekistics taiyaba

Education