The Art of Building Cities: City Building According to Its Artistic Fundamentals - Book Report/Review Example

This paper is a summary of “The Art of Building Cities.”

            This writing is an examination of different cities’ plans. The writer looks out at composition elements that created pleasant effects, however, viewed as boring today both in artistic and technical matters. The writer also seeks to discover the ways through which to satisfy the three key requirements for practical city building, which include: clearing the current blocks as well as regularly aligned houses system, saving the remains of old cities as much as can be done, and approaching the ancient models ideal more closely within the current design (Sitte, 1). The writer considers Middle Ages as well as Renaissance period cities especially from conceptions of Greek and Roman.

            According to the writer, since ancient times the principal elements of architecture for cities have gone through immense changes. The main purpose for the existence of public squares is to offer more air as well as light and avoiding the repetitiveness of a lot of houses. They improve Monumental construction by freeing its walls as well. A lot has changed for instance the use of public squares and the writer explains that there are several public life scenes that have disappeared (Sitte, 2).

            All of the gathering places that were under the open sky in ancient times did consist of architectural works. This is according to writings in the past. According to the writer, there has been a close relationship between a public hall and forum that improved architecturally by paintings and statues. The market places of Greece are arranged in square form as well as surrounded by huge double columns to support the marble and stone architraves above along which the path runs. The forum does take a different aspect since over time it has been gladiatorial combats theater. According to the writer, the columns have to be then, less densely grouped (Sitte, 4). Such a description is an illustration of correspondence between forum and theater. The relationship can as well be seen in an examination of the forum of the Pompeii plan. Forum Romanum was conceived in accordance with similar principles (Sitte, 4).

            The writer has also examined ancient cities in Europe more specifically Italy where he explains that ancient public customs, as well as cities, have been kept alive overages, up to even currently, at certain parts public squares follow the ancient forum type. Their role within public life has been preserved and there have been no many changes experienced (Sitte, 8). Through the assessment of public squares which came into existence within the Middle Ages as well as the Renaissance, more specifically within Italy, the writer feels that the pattern has for ages been retained by tradition.