http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Topic: "The natural shape of the city is a grid, not a tree" en Mon, 01 Jun 2026 09:20:20 +0000 http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11158#post-125404 Thu, 19 Sep 2013 17:00:54 +0000 AKen 125404@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Presumably because once you've built as far as the waterside you're forced to stop there and leave a nice view, rather than slapping down a ring-road and a Tesco Extra. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11158#post-125403 Thu, 19 Sep 2013 16:46:43 +0000 neddie 125403@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>The best cities are the ones that are constrained by natural features I.e. mountains; lakes; rivers etc </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11158#post-125320 Thu, 19 Sep 2013 08:15:46 +0000 Cyclingmollie 125320@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Unbuilt Britain (BBC) compared a couple of designs for rebuilding London after the Great Fire. One was a grid, the other a combination of a circus and a star with a grid in the middle, the circus and star connected by two direct roads. Both designs were put into a traffic flow analysis programme and the latter proved to be the most effective at distributing traffic and shortening journeys (by car presumably). </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11158#post-125309 Thu, 19 Sep 2013 00:16:13 +0000 crowriver 125309@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>And yet, there is evidence showing that what is now Damascus has been in human habitation for more than 11,000 years.</p> <p>Perhaps it is just that what we think of as a city, as the urban, has changed over time? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11158#post-125303 Wed, 18 Sep 2013 21:48:48 +0000 Morningsider 125303@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>crowriver - I'm not sure where the quote is from, but its also nonsense. Mass urban/city living is a very recent phenomenon, e.g:</p> <p>"One hundred years ago, 2 out of every 10 people lived in an urban area. By 1990, less than 40% of the global population lived in a city, but as of 2010, more than half of all people live in an urban area."</p> <p>Source, World Health Organisation: <a href="http://www.who.int/gho/urban_health/situation_trends/urban_population_growth_text/en/" rel="nofollow">http://www.who.int/gho/urban_health/situation_trends/urban_population_growth_text/en/</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11158#post-125288 Wed, 18 Sep 2013 20:05:09 +0000 crowriver 125288@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>"Cities are as natural to humans as beehives to bees". </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11158#post-125274 Wed, 18 Sep 2013 16:43:26 +0000 Morningsider 125274@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Nonsense - how can a man made enviornment have a "natural shape". In my experience, the best cities are those that take account of local topography, materials, environment, weather and cultural traditions. That could include grids, but usually doesn't. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11158#post-125247 Wed, 18 Sep 2013 13:08:44 +0000 PS 125247@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Grids are dull. You need a few crescents and circuses to mix things up a bit. And a medieval-style (human scale) centre always helps. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11158#post-125197 Wed, 18 Sep 2013 08:55:07 +0000 amir 125197@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I never really liked grid systems, too many junctions. Unless there are some big pointers (like signs, numbering systems), they can be quite difficult to navigate too. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11158#post-125195 Wed, 18 Sep 2013 08:49:05 +0000 chdot 125195@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>"<br /> Turning the city’s main streets over to the car and withdrawing commercial uses to the secondary streets of the grid – as has happened in cities worldwide, and continues to do so – goes against the grain of historic evolution.</p> <p>"</p> <p><a href="http://www.timstonor.wordpress.com/2013/09/13/the-importance-of-grids" rel="nofollow">http://www.timstonor.wordpress.com/2013/09/13/the-importance-of-grids</a> </p>