Public and Private Space

Vitruvius Pollio's treatise De Architectura, written in 27 BC, is the first classic book about architecture to have survived from antiquity (http://www.lih.gre.ac.uk). Obviously the passage of more than two thousand years has made much of it obsolete, but it is fascinating to realize how intelligently he approached problems still faced by modern architects, landscape architects, and city planners.

Conceptions of private and public space vary according to culture and historical epoch. Lawrence Halprin's statement that the 'ultimate purpose of a city is to provide creative environment for people to live in" (Halprin 7) certainly would not apply to the values in the minds of ancient architects and city planners. The first priority of builders

. . .
Some common words found in the essay are:
Middle Ages, De Architectura, Forbidden City, Lawrence Halprin's, China's Peking, Peking Babylon, United Instead, Wall China, MIT Press, Vitruvius Pollio's, city planners, mit press, de architectura, cambridge mit, architects city, cambridge mit press, architects city planners, public space,
Approximate Word count = 543
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page)

More Essays on Public and Private Space