A study on the urban dwelling in redevelopments of historical districts(2)

During the nineteenth century the population of Rome, London, Paris, and Barcelona increased unexpectedly, so that a lot of urban dwellings were constructed in the redeveloped areas or the new residential quarters. The aim of this paper (part 2) on houses or apartment houses built in the four cities is to study the plan of dwellings, the arrangement of blocks where they were built and their facade design. For that purpose several case study areas were selected in each city, and houses or apartment houses in the areas were mutually compared. When planning blocks, inner courts were basically provided in the center. While houses entirely enclose all around the block in Paris and Barcelona, they do not enclose in Rome and London in order to reduce the mass volume of the house-building. Entering from the street into the inner court there found the stairs, to approach each house. While in Paris the inner court is paved, in the other cities several trees are planted. The house at the corner of the block in London is built in right angle, but is obliquely cut in Rome, Paris and Barcelona. Each house is faced both on the street and on the inner court, and the planning follows the traditional one. Generally speaking, the house is five or six stories high and the facade design is based on that of Italian palazzo building. Because the height of house buildings is much the same a certain townscape is created as we see in the city of Paris. The architectural styles are varied classical and baroque styles are observed, and we could call it eclectic. Although there various architectural styles, basic design is rooted in the traditional one of each city. Thus the architectural and towns-cape succession is kept without break.