2. EKISTICS
The term Ekistics was coined by Greek
architect & urban planner Konstantinos
Apostolos Doxiadis in 1942.
Applies to the
settlements.
Includes regional, city, community planning
and dwelling design.
science
of
human
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3. BASIC PRINCIPLES OF EKISTICS
Human happiness
Unity of Purpose
Hierarchy of Functions
Four dimensions
Many scales for many masters
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5. BASIC PARTS OF COMPOSITE
HUMAN SETTLEMENTS
Homogeneous parts- fields;
Central parts- built-up villages;
Circulatory parts- roads & paths within the
fields; and
Special parts- i.e., a monastery contained
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within the homogeneous part.
6. CLASSIFICATION OF HUMAN
SETTLEMENTS
Based on sizes- size of five elements &
their combinations
Hamlet to Metropolitan cities
Small & sparsely spaced (rural settlements
or villages specializing in agriculture & other
primary activities)
Large & closely spaced (urban settlements
specializing
in
secondary
&
tertiary
activities)
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7. CLASSIFICATION OF HUMAN
SETTLEMENTS
Based on Location of Settlements- plains,
mountains, coastal, etc.
Based
on
Relationships
between
Settlements within Space (hierarchical or
non-hierarchical)
Based on Physical Forms- form as the
expression of content, function, & structure
Based on Five Elements of Human
Settlements
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8. CLASSIFICATION OF HUMAN
SETTLEMENTS
Based on Functions- which are important
to an understanding of the meaning & role
of settlements:
Reveal nature, specialisation, & raison
d’etre of settlements
Based on activity (economic, social), their
performance,
or
special
role
(as
dormitories, retirement villages, etc.)
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9. CLASSIFICATION OF HUMAN
SETTLEMENTS
Based on Time Dimension- age of
settlements, their place in continuum (past,
present, future), their relative static or
dynamic character, the whole process of
their growth
Based on degree of society’s conscious
involvement in settlements creationnatural & planned settlements
Based on institutions, legislations &
administration- which society has created
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for settlements
11. CLASSIFICATION OF HUMAN
SETTLEMENTS
BY EKISTICS UNITS: FOUR BASIC GROUPS
Minor shells or elementary units- man
(anthropos), room, house;
Micro-settlements- units smaller than, or
as small as, the traditional town where
people used , do & still do achieve
interconnection by walking (housegroup,
small neighbourhood);
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12. CLASSIFICATION OF HUMAN
SETTLEMENTS
BY EKISTICS UNITS: FOUR BASIC GROUPS
Meso-settlements- between traditional
town & conurbation within which one can
commute daily (small polis, polis, small
metropolis, small megalopolis, small
eperopolis, eperopolis); and
Macro-settlementswhose
largest
possible expression is the Ecumenopolis.
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13. CLASSIFICATION OF HUMAN
SETTLEMENTS
BY EKISTICS UNITS
Physical & Social Units
Man (as individual)- smallest unit
Space- second unit either personally owned
or shared with others
Family Home- third unit
Social Unit
Group of Homes
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14. ANTHROPOS-1
EKISTIC UNITS:
15 LEVELS
• Also
called
EKISTICS
LOGARITHMIC
SCALE (ELS).
• Units range from
Man
to
Ecumenopolis
which turn into
four
basic
groups.
ROOM-2
HOUSE-5
HAMLET-40
VILLAGE-250
NEIGHBOURHOOD-1,500
SMALL POLIS-10,000
POLIS(CITY)-75,000
SMALL METROPOLIS-5,00,000
METROPOLIS-4 MILLION
SMALL MEGALOPOLIS-25 MILLION
MEGALOPOLIS-150 MILLION
SMALL EPEROPOLIS-750 MILLION
EPEROPOLIS-7,500 MILLION
ECUMENOPOLIS-50,000 MILLION
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16. EKISTICS UNITS
Ecumenopolis: The entire area of Earth
taken up by human settlements.
Megalopolis: A group of conurbations,
consisting of more than 10 million people
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each.
17. EKISTICS UNITS
South Florida
Conurbation: A group of large cities & their
suburbs, consisting of 3 to 10 million
people. Also called urban agglomeration.
Tokyo: World’s largest metropolis
Metropolis: A large city & its suburbs
consisting of multiple cities & towns having 1 to
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3 million people.
18. EKISTICS UNITS
Large City: A city with large population &
many services having less than 1 million but
over 3 lakhs people.
City: A city with abundant but not with as
many services as in a large city, having over
1 lakh upto 3 lakhs people.
Large Town: Population of 20,000 to 1
lakh.
Town: Population of 1,000 to 20,000.
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19. EKISTICS UNITS
Village: Generally does not have many
services, possibly having only a small
corner shop or post office. Population of 100
to 1,000.
Hamlet: A tiny population (<100) & very
few (if any) services, & few buildings.
Isolated dwellings: 1 or 2 buildings or
families with negligible services, if any.
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20. CLASSIFICATION OF HUMAN
SETTLEMENTS
BY EKISTICS ELEMENTS
Nature: Represents ecosystems including
water cycle, biosystems, climatic zones, etc.
Anthropos:
Constantly
adapting
&
changing certain physical & psychological
diseases
directly
associated
with
urbanisation.
These
include
obesity,
respiratory elements & alienation.
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21. CLASSIFICATION OF HUMAN
SETTLEMENTS
BY EKISTICS ELEMENTS
Society: Realm of society comprises all
those aspects of the urban or rural scene
that
are
commonly
dealt
with
by
sociologists, economists & administrators:
population trends, social customs, income &
occupations, & the system of urban
government.
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22. CLASSIFICATION OF HUMAN
SETTLEMENTS
BY EKISTICS ELEMENTS
Shells:
The built environment is the
traditional domain of architectural &
engineering professions.
Networks: Provide glue for all systems of
urbanisation. Changes profoundly affect
urban scale like advent of the rail-road, or
of piped water supplies, or of the telephone
which affect the extent, texture & densities
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of human settlements.
23. CLASSIFICATION OF HUMAN
SETTLEMENTS
BY EVOLUTIONARY PHASES
Macro scale- nomadic, agricultural, urban,
urban-industrial;
Micro scale- specific area at a limited
period of time.
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25. THE UNIVERSITY OF THE PUNJAB
Doxiadis was involved in the design
of this new campus in Pakistan.
Used ekistic principles to create a
campus he believed was built for
true ” human scale”.
Limited the number of roads on
campus, banning them from the
classroom areas.
All the educational buildings are
interconnected to permit people to
walk from one to the other.
Courtyards provide a place for
meetings between people.
The University of the Punjab,
Lahore, Pakistan (1959)
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26. DOXIADIS’ BAGHDAD
Doxiadis Associates identified Tigris as reference for
establishing a central axis of growth.
Ideal limits of the future Iraqi capital set to 3
million—approximately three times larger than
1958 population which suggested Baghdad’s
maximum limits, defined with an elongated
rectangle orientated along the main NW-SE axis of
the river.
Rectangular area incorporated some of existing
major roads & suggested opening of new roads that
would adopt a rectilinear pattern.
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27. DOXIADIS’ BAGHDAD
Residential sectors & subsectors
arranged
according
to
rectangular
grid
system,
modified
in
middle,
to
accommodate
commercial
district.
Commercial district included old
city centre & new commercial
centres expected to emerge
along main axis of Dynapolis.
New commercial centres to abide
by rectilinear logic of road
system & residential grid.
Doxiadis Associates,
Baghdad, Iraq, 1958.
The
Master
27
Plan
for
28. Plan of Community Sector in West Baghdad
Model of Community Sector in West Baghdad
• “Western Baghdad Development Scheme” to house 100,000 people.
• Composed of different “community sectors” of seven to ten thousand people.
• Each sector provided for administrative, social, educational, health & other community
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buildings, shopping centers, green areas, coffee houses, & mosques.
29. • Sub-hamlets built in groups of 10 or 15 small attached houses beside a pedestrian way, at end
of which was a small gossip square (an idea from Hassan Fathy, the Egyptian architect who
joined the Ekistics group in 1957).
• Doxiadis asked that term to be replaced with “community squares of first degree”.
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30. House Types in West Baghdad
Upper-Income Housing in West Baghdad
Standardized “house types” pushed courtyards to side or back of each unit, thereby losing any of
traditional courtyards’ climatic benefits & secluded qualities.
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31. ISLAMABAD
Unity of scale for cohesion between
various elements of town. City isn’t a
conglomeration of isolated’& unrelated
spaces, but one entity of interrelated
spaces. A scale measurement was
determined
to
govern
elements
composing the city (plots, streets, open
spaces, squares, roads, etc.).
Unity of Expression: A system of four
highways becomes the basic step for
the metropolitan area. These axes form
a big square, which will define all future
transportation systems & all major
functions within.
The main highways
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32. ISLAMABAD
3 DISTINCTIVE AREAS:
(subdivided into sectors)
Islamabad proper (expansion towards
SW):
Capital
of
nation
mainly
administrative & cultural functions.
Rawalpindi (expansion towards SW):
regional centre serving industrial &
commercial functions.
National
Park:
to
retain
certain
agricultural functions & where sites must
be provided for national sports centre,
university,
research
institute,
etc.
(expansion towards SE).
The three parts of the
metropolitan area.
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33. The administrative sector within
Islamabad.
• Main axis through core of Islamabad :Capital Avenue.
• Looks towards the Presidential Palace located on top of a hill.
• Due to fixed road & location of administrative centre on a higher level, this section of
the capital – which is its brain centre and pulsating heart - will dominate the city
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even after it has expanded and fully grown along the patterns provided for.
34. A Community Class V for about A Community Class IV for about
40, 000 people.
12,000 people.
A Community Class III for
about 3,000 people.
Each sector (Community Class V) of Islamabad is self-contained & self-supported wrt everyday life.
Sub-divided into 3 or 4 smaller Communities (Class IV) by income groups of occupants.
Centre of sector is the civic centre, containing shopping, business and civic activities.
Each Class IV Community is subdivided into several Communities Class III, which are further
subdivided into Communities Class II.
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• Arrangement of functions best serves the inhabitants of each sector and with least time required
for approach.
•
•
•
•
35. Pedestrian and Vehicle Traffic:
• Segregated by a road system where scales of human & motor-vehicle movements differ.
• Pedestrians move within human community though spatial hierarchy from small pedestrian
streets towards larger ones of a Class II Community, then to centre of a Class III Community, &
so on.
• Spaces & perspectives created along way agree with same hierarchical order.
• For roads leading to specific targets aesthetically related and presenting a unity of scale.
• Extensive use of cul-de-sacs at end of access roads.
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• Pattern of motor traffic leading to houses without interfering with pedestrian-street systems.
36. • Street Design-The Positive Space:
Detached
houses
are
the
greatest
challenge in terms of a proper shaping of
space.
• Houses are situated as much as possible in
accordance with the morphology of the
site.
• House Design: Plots vary from 111 sq. yards
to about 3,000 sq. yards, depending on income
group. Frontage dimensions of plots are less
than their depth. Most plots are rectangular.
Special efforts were made to avoid irregular
plots, especially in low-income areas.
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37. Low-income house (perspective view)
Low-income house (plan)
Minimum Accommodation:
• No house has less than two rooms, a kitchen, WC, & a shower room.
• Sufficient space for outdoor living.
• Each house has closed, semi-covered or open living spaces.
• Supplied with running water & electricity, and connected with sewage system.
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38. NEED TO BALANCE ELEMENTS
OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS
We are dealing by necessity with:
Nature, which is being spoilt;
Man, who is continuously changing;
Society, which is changing because of man’s
new needs;
Shells, which must be constructed;
Networks, which are also changing to cope
up with new demands.
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39. EVOLUTION OF HUMAN
SETTLEMENTS
Phase 1: Primitive non-organised human
settlements (started with evolution of man)
Phase 2: Primitive organised settlementsEopolis (period of villages lasted 10,000 years)
Phase 3: Static urban settlements or citiesPolis (lasted about 5,000 to 6,000 years)
Phase
4:
Dynamic
urban
settlementsDynapolis (lasted 200 to 400 years)
Phase 5: Universal City- Ecumenopolis (which
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is now beginning)
40. CONCLUSION
Study of human settlements should be
comprehensive and have an interdisciplinary
scope related to five ekistics elements.
Any study of settlements shall refer to ekistics
units of scale from man to Ecumenopolis, the
fifteen levels in ekistics logarithmic scale.
Time dimension must be integrated in analysis
and design of human settlements from past to
present to distant future.
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41. CONCLUSION
The scientific method shall be used in a
systematic treatment of human settlements,
following the models, concepts, principles,
values & postulations of ekistics.
City must be treated as a dynamic settlement
for which the concept of Dynapolis allows for
growth & change.
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42. REFERENCES
Classnotes
Time Saver Standards for Urban Design by Watson, Plattus,
Shibley
Metropolitan Problems by S. Miles
Information & Communication Technologies, Society & Human
Beings: Theory & Framework by Haftor & Mirijamdotter.
Basic ekistic principles_word: pdf
Ekistics_the_science_of_human_settlements:pdf
W.A. Howard, Ekistics
Journal of Planning History by Panayiota Pyla
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ekistics
http://www.csiss.org/classics/content/36
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