Nadine Samaha
Planned versus spontaneous urban design
Nadine Samaha is Architect; Richmond, Australia;

Planned urban design in western societies have been subject to many changes in the last decades, whether to accommodate the changes in transport in interactive places or in new habitat. Spontaneous Urban design mainly in the Eastern societies have adapted better with the new changes.

Definition of urban design
Urban design focuses on creating a desirable environment in which to live, work and play. The relation or the dialogue between all the elements, the visible and invisible, the physical and none physical that create the urban fabric of any environment is crucial for its image, function, progress and adaptation of time.
Urban design in this context looks at the outcome of the planned versus the spontaneous cities in general to accommodate the above. The elements are, but not limited, to buildings, streets, roads, land use, open space, circulation, height, natural features, landscape, limits, signs, advertising, history, culture and human activity. Other factors come in place also as the perception of spaces through our senses.

Spontaneous urban design
As the ancient cities started developing in the Middle East as Babylon in Iraq, Tripoli in Lebanon and so on, others indigenous cities were developing in Africa, Australia, America, Brazil and so on. Most of them grew from little villages next to rivers. Some of these civilisations where like tribes or nomads, as the Bedouins in the Middle East and the Native American in the United States. They had to move as to hunt for food or to escape harsh weather.
However, most of the villages of these ancient civilisations grew into great cities. From one cell in general these cities expanded and developed to accommodate the new infrastructure.

Modern Tripoli, which has a population of about 500,000, is divided into two parts: El-Mina, (the port area and site of the ancient city) and the town of Tripoli proper.
The Medieval city at the foot of the Crusader castle is where most of the historical sites are located. Surrounding this is a modern metropolis which is occupied with commerce, banking and recreation. Tripoli city is designed as a spider webs on a more a radio concentric grid. The city elements in Tripoli are knitted slowly with time as a labyrinth that leads to the varied elements of the city. Whether houses or different doors that takes you to the Hammams, the Madrassas, the Mosques and the Khans.

The composition of the Souks are thoroughly supported by the composition of the Medina that have been developed with time spontaneously as a place for the people.

The notion of Souk is purely Oriental. It started from the Mesopotamian cities where they were independent states belted with big walls. Communication between these cities happened through caravan merchants that transported multiple products from East to West and vice versa. The dealing took place at the opening of the city. Babylon had always linear Souks that used to be the beating heart of the city.

Dotted occasionally in these Souks, are the artists, the craftsmen and the one man band movable store that blurs the boundaries of the shops.

As you are walking, you are drawn to a strong smell of coffee that a man is serving from his copper coffee pitcher and into cups. In case one missed the smell the coffee maker draw your attention by rattling the cups through his fingers.

Men constantly stop to have their shoes polished by the movable shoe polisher. Some of them offer benches for their customer to sit down, enjoy a cup of coffee and read the daily paper.

Traditional mattresses in the Middle East are designed with wool inside. Every year you have to take them to the mattress expert who removes, fluff the wool puts it back in and saw the mattress.

There is no doubt that these spontaneous elements define the appealing character of this city. It makes it mysterious and unpredictable for the visitor and yet very practical for its residents. Tripoli city still operates in the same way for over 800 hundred years. It expanded with time to accommodate new infrastructure and western style Hotels and restaurants. Even Oscar Nemeyer had designed a new port.

Planned urban design
The settled way of life led to an increase in food production and population. It also let people to specialise in one job, and this led to many inventions. This brought us to the industrial revolution where modern cities had to implement more elements in their urban fabric; therefore they had to rely on a Master plan to work with.

Melbourne CBD in Victoria Australia as Manhattan in New York, have been designed on an orthogonal grid. The city turns its back to the sea and does not try to engage with the original land topography or even the dominant natural feature: the Yarra River. The city is surrounded with beautiful very well planned gardens.

The buildings in the city itself portray the best edifices of the period they were built in. Most of them are immaculate. Rigid zoning of land uses in the city has contributed to under-utilisation of public urban spaces and spontaneous occurrence of unplanned small-scale activities in public urban spaces in the city centre.
These impacts of the planned land use pattern on space use are more or less a consequence of its original limited provision for residential use and restricted elaboration of commercial use.

However, the city has gone through amazing changes in the last decade. The residential supply has surpassed the demand in the CBD and surrounding now.

The major arterials have been connected to major links to various freeways. Swanston Street on of the central road in the CBD has been converted to mainly pedestrian use.

The Tram on the other hand remained as one of the major public transports that connect the city to the inner sprawling suburbs next to the train, which runs underground in the CBD.

The city major shopping centres have gone through face-lifts recently as new ones are emerging.

New public spaces for people have emerged in the city such as a new museum; a large exhibition centre and a public space called Federation Square. All these developments have been planned through more urban planning constraints.

ThereÕs no doubt that the city emanates order. It proposes comfort through its structured daily activities. However, it creates monotony for visitors and residents. It can be predictable, if it was not for some of the interesting arcades and laneways that interconnect the major streets.

Melbourne City has been voted for few years now as of the most livable city of the world. With over 110 nationalities, Melbourne caters for practically every culture and religion. It is a culture rich with history, theatre, cafe restaurants and sophistication.

New Year's Eve festivities in the city. Photo: Joe Armao

This multi-culture had played an important factor in the revival of the city. It is through the various planned as the many festivals or spontaneous human activities that this city had her heart beating again.

Outcome
Cities become more livable once the connection of the different functions is blurred. The exchange for human becomes more creative as the number of these connections multiply.

Planned urban design is like a meal that if you let simmer, letting few spontaneous occurrences along the way as different flavours, can be very successful.

On the other hand, spontaneous urban design is like a quick dish that relies on more creativity, with some order it can create more stability.

Both of course, use the best ingredients.

Definitions:
Souk: Shopping strip
Khan: Oriental commercial centre
Mosques: Islamic prayer place
Madrassa: Islamic school
Hammam: Oriental public bath
Medina: Oriental City
El Mina: The port