Urban Structure - Road Structure

Road Structure

The arrangement of streets and large thoroughfares in cities can be further divided into various arrangements throughout the different regions of the world. The structure of the roads themselves is usually representative of the dominant culture of the region. Roads and Streets are used as a Skeleton of the city.

• Europe: A ringed weblike structure is typically found in European cities. Medieval European towns were typically constructed around a church or cathedral. Cities founded prior to Christian influence were built around temples and other structures of cultural significance. Roads usually radiate outward from this central nucleus. The very centre of towns dating back to Roman times can be based on the grid pattern of a Roman Castra. This is the case for Vienna.

• North America: A gridlike pattern is common in North American cities, which unlike European Cities, are typically built around a central business district. Early colonial cities such as Boston show a hybrid of the central nucleus structure and the grid structure. In Southwestern cities such as Phoenix, this grid structure is astoundingly apparent in aerial photographs of the urban area.