323:
55:
1121:
27:
128:
Since the spacing of streets in grid plans varies so widely among cities, or even within cities, it is difficult to generalize about the size of a city block. Oblong blocks range considerably in width and length. The standard block in
Manhattan is about 264 by 900 feet (80 m × 274 m).
97:
usually in private ownership, though in some cases, it may be other forms of tenure. City blocks are usually built-up to varying degrees and thus form the physical containers or "streetwalls" of public space. Most cities are composed of a greater or lesser variety of sizes and shapes of urban block.
334:
A perimeter block is a type of city block which is built up on all sides surrounding a central space that is semi-private. They may contain a mixture of uses, with commercial or retail functions on the ground floor. Perimeter blocks are a key component of many
European cities and are an urban form
363:
Since there is no standard dimension for city blocks, and they are typically rectangular in shape, meaning a block and one direction is a different length than a block in another, colloquial directions involving blocks as proxies for measurements in feet or meters are obviously both imprecise and
248:
360:, the word "block" is used as an informal unit of distance. For example, someone giving directions might say, "It's three blocks from here", meaning either literally three blocks distant (in a city grid) or the equivalent of three blocks without a grid.
274:: using a direct geometric representation of the usual concept of city blocks. Not only sidewalks, but also inner alleys, common gardens, etc. Some street parts, such as a street greenway, isolated and with no related lot, can be also represented as a
133:, a typical city block is 330 by 660 feet (100 m × 200 m), meaning that 16 east-west blocks or 8 north-south blocks measure one mile, which has been adopted by other US cities. In much of the United States and Canada, the
98:
For example, many pre-industrial cores of cities in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East tend to have irregularly shaped street patterns and urban blocks, while cities based on grids have much more regular arrangements.
251:
Same diagram of first illustration (see introduction), enhancing the "blocks without sidewalks", enfolded by the tiny green line. They are, with the inner alley and the sidewalks, sub-structures of the
160:, for example. An exception is represented by those cities that were founded as Roman military settlements, and that often preserve the original grid layout around two main orthogonal axes (such as
30:
Diagram of an example of a rectangular city block as seen from above, surrounded by streets. The block is divided into lots which were numbered by the developer as shown in red here and as shown in
239:
has nine city blocks, with speed limits on the internal roads slowed to 10–20 km/h (6.2–12.4 mph), through traffic disallowed, and through travel possible only on the perimeter roads.
93:. City blocks are the space for buildings within the street pattern of a city, and form the basic unit of a city's urban fabric. City blocks may be subdivided into any number of smaller
223:
Superblocks can also be retroactively superimposed on pre-existing grid plan by changing the traffic rules and streetscape of internal streets within the superblock, as in the case of
215:
or quasi-grid plan. That typology is prevalent in Japan and China, for example. Chen defines the supergrid and superblock urban morphology in that context as follows:
121:
development principle, city blocks are developed so that buildings are located along the perimeter of the block, with entrances facing the street, and semi-private
451:
A Comparative Study of
Supergrid and Superblock Urban Structure in China and Japan Rethinking the Chinese Superblocks: Learning from Japanese Experience
577:
473:
208:
and the size of multiple typically sized city blocks. Within the superblock, the local road network, if any, is designed to serve only local needs.
156:
cities have grown by accretion over time rather than being planned, making rectangular city blocks uncommon in the innermost development among most
58:
Chicago in 1857. Blocks of 80, 40, and 10 acres establish a street grid at the outskirts which continues into the more finely divided downtown area.
1144:
219:“The Supergrid is a large-scale net of wide roads that defines a series of cells or Superblocks, each containing a network of narrower streets.”
664:
157:
125:
in the rear of the buildings. This historic arrangement reflects organic development of structures and land usage, adapted to urban planning.
536:
707:
674:
594:
101:
By extension, the word "block" is an important informal unit of length equal to the distance between two streets of a street grid.
891:
570:
422:
546:
437:
1052:
513:
563:
497:
34:. The addresses on this example 800 block are shown in black and the adjacent blocks are the 700 and 900 blocks. An
519:
113:
that were planned rather than developing gradually over a long period of time, streets are typically laid out on a
1012:
173:
188:
Some variations of the interpretation of city blocks include superblocks, subblocks, and perimeter blocks.
299:
285:
20:
697:
145:, are also 330 by 660 feet (100 m × 200 m), formed by splitting the square blocks in an
38:
shown in light gray runs lengthwise down the middle of the block. Streets are shown in dark gray.
795:
790:
586:
322:
89:
In a city with a grid system, the block is the smallest group of buildings that is surrounded by
950:
919:
871:
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353:
138:
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211:
Superblocks can also contain an orthogonal internal road network, including those based on a
909:
825:
142:
141:, in which each block of a street is allotted 100 building numbers. The blocks in central
8:
1072:
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800:
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284:: represented by polygon obtained by the external border of the union of a set of
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474:"Superblocks to the rescue: Barcelona's plan to give streets back to residents"
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169:
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314:, contains the sidewalk, the alley, and any other non-lot sub-structure.
146:
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264:
perspective there are two complementary ways of modeling city blocks:
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26:
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31:
415:
Designing the City: Towards a More
Sustainable Urban Form
164:) and cities heavily damaged during World War II (like
515:
Imagination: The
Science of Your Mind's Greatest Power
347:
326:Interior of the Kone & Silta perimeter block,
50:shown in light gray from every lot to the street.
1136:
412:
117:of square or rectangular city blocks. Using the
544:The Great American Grid: Block Size Dimensions
204:, is an area of urban land that is bounded by
571:
585:
339:to be achieved without high-rise buildings.
537:The Death and Life of Great American Cities
502:Courtyard Housing: Past, Present and Future
16:Smallest area that is surrounded by streets
578:
564:
471:
321:
246:
53:
25:
448:
183:
1145:Urban studies and planning terminology
1137:
149:with a narrow street down the middle.
559:
118:
406:
13:
528:
317:
14:
1161:
465:
306:. The geometric subtraction of a
1119:
242:
1013:Residential cluster development
348:As an informal unit of distance
665:Shopping streets and districts
507:
498:"The European perimeter block"
490:
472:Bausells, Marta (2016-05-17).
442:
431:
342:
1:
399:
191:
791:Model dwellings for the poor
504:, Taylor & Francis, 2004
449:Xiaofei, Chen (2017-08-29).
172:, New York City adopted the
168:). Following the example of
104:
7:
367:
174:Commissioners' Plan of 1811
139:block and lot number system
21:City block (disambiguation)
10:
1166:
18:
1116:
995:
945:
890:
859:
706:
673:
593:
413:Frey, Hildebrand (1999).
42:are shown in light gray.
587:Real estate developments
291:(illustration opposite).
78:is a central element of
46:are shown in green with
796:Multifamily residential
308:block without sidewalks
297:block without sidewalks
276:block without sidewalks
235:for superblocks). Each
746:Conservation community
354:North American English
335:that allows very high
331:
257:
221:
109:In most cities of the
59:
51:
841:Single-room occupancy
786:Mixed-use development
771:Intentional community
756:Golf course community
618:Mixed-use development
534:Jacobs, Jane (1961).
325:
250:
217:
176:for a more extensive
57:
29:
910:Garden city movement
826:Retirement community
312:block with sidewalks
304:block with sidewalks
184:Structure variations
143:Melbourne, Australia
19:For other uses, see
1073:Planning permission
816:Residential airpark
801:Penthouse apartment
688:Industrial district
417:. E & FN Spon.
1126:Housing portal
698:Technology centers
549:2019-11-03 at the
384:Manhattan distance
358:Australian English
332:
258:
60:
52:
1132:
1131:
1088:Regional planning
1048:Land-use planning
930:Urban green space
925:Planned community
860:Science/education
806:Private community
438:cityofchicago.org
424:978-0-419-22110-4
282:without sidewalks
68:residential block
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1124:
1123:
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877:Satellite campus
821:Residential area
776:Luxury apartment
736:Closed community
683:Business cluster
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496:Edwards, Brian:
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300:is always within
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1033:Greenfield land
1003:Brownfield land
991:
941:
886:
855:
761:Gated community
702:
693:Industrial park
669:
655:Shopping center
623:Office building
613:Commercial area
589:
584:
551:Wayback Machine
540:. Random House.
531:
529:Further reading
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525:
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411:
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337:urban densities
320:
318:Perimeter block
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194:
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158:European cities
119:perimeter block
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24:
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12:
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5:
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1098:Urban planning
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1055:
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1038:Greyfield land
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1028:Eminent domain
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1023:Context theory
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920:Planned cities
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811:Public housing
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766:Housing estate
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751:Executive home
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726:Bungalow court
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721:Boarding house
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394:Urban planning
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206:arterial roads
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80:urban planning
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1083:Redevelopment
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1043:Groundscraper
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1021:
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996:Miscellaneous
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915:Model village
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872:Research park
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851:Tract housing
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836:Rooming house
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831:Revenue house
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659:Shopping mall
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608:Business park
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262:geoprocessing
255:
249:
243:Sub-structure
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147:original grid
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1150:Urban design
1093:Urban design
1018:Construction
905:Civic center
882:Science park
741:Company town
730:
640:Power center
535:
514:
509:
501:
492:
481:. Retrieved
478:The Guardian
477:
467:
450:
444:
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408:
389:Urban design
374:Census block
362:
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311:
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170:Philadelphia
162:Turin, Italy
151:
127:
108:
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88:
84:urban design
75:
74:, or simply
71:
67:
63:
61:
1053:Nonbuilding
982:Tower block
846:Subdivision
708:Residential
645:Retail park
343:Use of term
202:super-block
72:urban block
1139:Categories
1078:Playground
977:Skyscraper
731:City block
675:Industrial
650:Riverfront
595:Commercial
520:Jim Davies
483:2018-04-14
459:2123/17986
453:(Thesis).
400:References
364:relative.
254:city block
229:superilles
198:superblock
192:Superblock
123:courtyards
64:city block
960:Apartment
947:Buildings
892:Municipal
781:McMansion
379:Grid plan
289:land lots
271:sidewalks
237:superilla
225:Barcelona
213:grid plan
178:grid plan
166:Frankfurt
154:Old World
137:follow a
135:addresses
115:grid plan
111:New World
105:Grid plan
95:land lots
40:Sidewalks
1008:Cemetery
900:Arcology
716:Agrihood
547:Archived
368:See also
328:Helsinki
286:touching
48:walkways
1068:Parking
603:Airport
233:Catalan
131:Chicago
91:streets
44:Avenues
1108:Zoning
867:Campus
633:inland
421:
330:, 2019
310:from
1103:YIMBY
1058:NIMBY
987:Villa
970:types
965:House
951:types
935:parks
518:, by
269:with
260:In a
200:, or
152:Many
76:block
36:alley
32:plats
1063:Park
628:Port
419:ISBN
356:and
82:and
500:in
455:hdl
352:In
227:'s
129:In
1141::
476:.
302:a
295:A
196:A
180:.
86:.
70:,
66:,
62:A
953:)
949:(
661:)
657:(
579:e
572:t
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278:.
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231:(
23:.
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