discussion

PUP 420: Theory of Urban Design

Piazza Pio II, Pienza, Italy

The concept of a city square has evolved from the Middle Ages, when it was mainly an Italian concept. The square spread throughout Europe during the Baroque time period before being exported to other continents.

Evolution and role of the square

Staroměstské Náměstí, Prague, Czech Republic

The epitome of public and collective space, the square gradually became the expression of municipal freedom, of religious power wielded by the Catholic Church, of mercantile trade, and of royal celebrations for monarchs and government events.

Until the 19th Century, with that century’s vast changes in social structure and urban fabric, the plaza evolved to the point of undertaking new functions and renewing the old— everything from garden squares to places conceived as road junctions, now flanked by new places for social gathering.

Evolution and role of the square

Crystal Palace, London, England

What kinds of new places emerged? Shopping arcades with impressive glass roofs, and other such gathering places, competed with open-air squares for the traditional role of providing a place for social interaction.

In the first half of the 20th Century, especially in Italy, the square re-established its significance as a civic space and as a pivotal point for organization of the urban nucleus in newly built towns.

Evolution and role of the square

Piazza Fontana, Milan, Italy

For a while during and after World War II, there wasn’t much attention paid to the design of squares. But after post-war reconstruction, we again started to value the idea of upgrading existing squares to restore their role as a meeting point and respite from the bustle of daily life as well as from vehicular traffic.

Evolution and role of the square

Plaça dels Països Catalans, Barcelona, Spain

Moreover, the creation of completely new spaces in the old fabric (such as Plateau Beaubourg, Paris) or in run-down areas, confirmed the desire to revive the plaza.

In the 1960s, youth counterculture introduced an element of fun to squares and streets, which became places of entertainment, open for music and theater. In the subsequent decade, urban planning absorbed the influence of existing cultural developments and leaned toward the refurbishment of run-down and peripheral areas. Here there was a parallel and fundamental decision to restore a pedestrian role to historical squares, which had often been downgraded to parking lots.

Evolution and role of the square

Times Square, NYC

These squares were furnished to encourage people to linger, and some were beautified with flowerbeds and lawns to make them into garden squares. Even today, squares provide a vital role: they allow the public expression of social interaction that keeps the communal spirit and the civic and social values of the city alive.

Tiananmen Square, Beijing, China

Examples… Now for some examples of the ways that we’ve been building and using squares in the past 75 years or so…

Tiananmen Square is a relatively recent construction, having been built between 1949 and 1959. It’s a 4.7-million-square-foot square, designed in the style of socialist realism.

Through the 1950s and into the 1960s, Beijing was extensively modified, and little regard was given to the designs of the past. Many historic features were lost during the building of this square, although parts of the Gate of Heavenly Peace (a monument built in 1417 and renovated in 1651) did survive and have become the icon of Tiananmen Square.

Examples… This is the Gate of Heavenly Peace (below). The name of Tiananmen, in English, translates also to the Gate of Heavenly Peace, because the square is named after the monument. During the Boxer Rebellion (1899-1900), the whole area was so seriously damaged that a decision was made not to rebuild what had been there before, but instead to leave it open. This was the beginning of Tiananmen Square (as a square).

June 4, 1989

Examples… The square has been the preferred site of public and political events in Beijing. On October 1st, 1949, President Mao stood there as he proclaimed the birth of the People’s Republic of China. In the summer of 1989, it became synonymous with governmental repression, when hundreds of demonstrating students were killed.

Mausoleum, Tiananmen Square

Examples… In daily life, the massive plaza is a meeting place serving Beijing’s citizens and the countless tourists who visit. In the center is a monument from 1958—a 125-foot granite obelisk that commemorates the People’s Heroes. The west side of the square has the Great Hall of the People, which is the main venue for the Chinese government’s “high society” events. The last of the huge buildings dates back to 1976 and is the mausoleum for the embalmed body of President Mao. If you include the adjacent buildings, then the entire area is more than 16-million square feet.

It’s precisely the immense size, together with the monuments, that make the square a fitting expression of the vastness of China as a country.

Examples…

The square is named after a former Toronto mayor (Nathan Phillips) and sits adjacent to both the new city hall and the old city hall. The square is connected to the new city hall via a ramp.

Now for a North American example: Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto, Canada. This square was built in 1957, with additional construction from 1961-1965, and new construction from around 2008 to 2014.

Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto, Canada

Examples… The curving building on the upper-left side is the current City Hall—it looks like two buildings. The largest part of the plot has a garden and works of art, and a large pool of water that is intended to reflect the building’s curving surfaces.

The reflecting pool is shallow and was specially designed to be used as a skating rink during winter, when the climate and a special refrigeration unit ensure it freezes over. The three areas are known as the Freedom Arches, a reference to a fragment of the Berlin Wall that was set into the base of the center structure.

Schouwburgplein, Rotterdam, the Netherlands

Examples… And for another example: Schouwburgplein in Rotterdam, in the Netherlands. It’s a square that’s close to the central train station in the heart of Rotterdam. It’s one of the most important squares in the city, partially because of its location. The square was neglected for many years, despite its good position in the city, and it was not until the early 1990s that it was targeted by the city council for renovation. It was constructed, in its current form, between 1991 and 1997, and it’s relatively small at 132,000 SF.

Schouwburgplein, Rotterdam, the Netherlands

Examples… The square is meant to be a meeting place for all the cultural institutions located on its edges—an opera house, a concert hall, and a large movie theater. There are also numerous offices, stores, and residences near the square, so it’s well used both day and night. The square can be a place to rest, to meet, to play, or even to perform— sometimes certain special events take place on the square.

Schouwburgplein, Rotterdam, the Netherlands

Examples… The square is a rectangle, and has four enormous red masts that are actually lights. The masts bear a strong resemblance to the port of Rotterdam’s hydraulic cranes—so much so that the square could be mistaken for an oil rig. There are also three tall towers (gray, far right) that contain ventilation plants for the large underground parking garage. Observed as a whole, the towers create a digital clock that shows hours, minutes, and seconds.

Schouwburgplein, Rotterdam, the Netherlands

Examples… Triangular glass prisms connect the ground level with the underlying floors. At the center, the paving is finished with perforated metal panels that are lit from below with white, green, and black fluorescent tubes. Next to this, also in the center of the square, are wooden slats laid in a herringbone design to map out a play area. Along the west side, resin slabs with metal leaves have been used, and on the east side, the sunniest, there’s a continuous series of wooden benches. Altogether, the square was meant to take its cues from Rotterdam’s industrial history and aesthetic to accentuate a technological and sensational look.

Point for thought “The car gobbles up spaces in which people might meet. Parks, sidewalks, everything goes to the automobile…. Not only do people no longer wish to walk, but it is not possible for those who do wish to, to find a place to walk. This not only makes people flabby but cuts them off from each other…. Yet there is no inherent incompatibility between man in an urban setting and the automobile. It’s all a matter of proper planning.”

-Edward Hall, The Hidden Dimension (1969), pg. 175

End of Unit 6.