Urban Blocks and Grids: History, Technical Features, and Outcomes

This book is about urban blocks and grids, one of the fundamental ways in which the space of cities and other urban settlements are arranged and ordered. It aims to trace the lineage of this form of city making across several cultural divides which have been in play, so to speak, for many centuries. Arrangements are strictly rectilinear in many circumstances, though certainly not all, as the following sections will make clear. In the main, urban blocks are defined by or made up of buildings, also as described in the following sections, although not always either. Interest here in the subject sprang from several sources. - Excerpt from Book Introduction As urbanization continues to increase, this book provides a fresh look at urban blocks and grids relative to their historical development and technical requirements. It also provides insights about their behavior relative to several important factors including contextual settings and environmental conditions. - Ali Malkawi, Professor of Architectural Technology and Founding Director of the Harvard Center for Green Buildings and Cities