¿Cómo han EVOLUCIONADO históricamente LAS CIUDADES y sus planos urbanos? 🏘🗺

City Evolution: From Ancient Times to Modern Urbanization

The Appeal of City-Building Games

• The speaker reminisces about their enjoyment of city-building video games like SimCity, Age of Empires, and Rise of Nations, highlighting the challenges faced in creating and managing cities.

• Modern mobile games such as Clash of Clans reflect similar dynamics where players build villages and compete with neighboring communities.

Historical Development of Cities

• The evolution of cities has seen periods of organized growth versus irregular expansion, mirroring gameplay strategies in city-building games.

• Early cities emerged during prehistoric times due to sedentary lifestyles and agricultural advancements, first appearing in Mesopotamia before spreading globally.

Roman Influence on Urban Planning

• Romans established structured city layouts that influenced urban design across their empire, characterized by orthogonal street patterns.

• Key public buildings were strategically placed around central thoroughfares (cardo and decumanus), showcasing Roman orderliness in city planning.

Decline and Transformation During the Middle Ages

• Following the fall of the Roman Empire around the 5th century AD, cities began to grow chaotically due to invasions and political instability.

• Medieval cities were often unsafe and unsanitary; many people preferred rural living under feudal lords until improvements began in the modern age.

Renaissance to Industrial Revolution Changes

• The arrival of the modern age (16th century onwards) saw significant urban enhancements with grand avenues, gardens, monuments celebrating historical figures or events.

• The Industrial Revolution initiated a new transformation phase for cities worldwide as factories attracted large populations seeking employment opportunities.

Urban Growth Patterns in Modern Times

• Rapid urbanization led to extensive construction of worker housing on city peripheries alongside upscale neighborhoods for emerging bourgeoisie classes.

• Technological advancements resulted in essential infrastructure developments like sewage systems and electric lighting that improved urban hygiene significantly.

Ongoing Urban Transformation Trends

• The 19th century marked a turning point for sanitation practices; prior methods were often unsanitary compared to contemporary standards.

Urban Planning and City Layouts

Evolution of Urban Layouts

• The historical evolution of cities has led to the development of various urban plans, often influenced by accessibility and available services such as parking.

• Modern cities may have multiple types of urban layouts, which can be explored using tools like Google Maps.

Types of Urban Plans

Irregular Plan

• The first type is an irregular plan characterized by disordered streets and buildings that lack systematic planning; common in medieval cities or rapidly developed neighborhoods.

• Streets in this layout are typically narrow and winding, with some dead ends, reflecting organic growth rather than structured design.

Orthogonal Plan

• The second type is the orthogonal plan, featuring straight streets that are mostly parallel; typical in city expansions during industrialization in the 19th century.

• This layout allows for more organized navigation compared to irregular plans.

Radial-Centric Plan

• The third type includes a radial-centric layout where roads radiate from a central point, facilitating movement towards various directions from a hub.