HISTORY OF CITY PLANNING 2 FROM EARLY TIMES TO RENAISSANCE Answer these questions. a. Do you know the history of the town or city where you live? If so, draw a timeline in your exercise book and write down periods or dates of the main historical events. b. Who is in charge of creating or revising the Master Plan of the place where you live? c. Think about your town. Are there any aspects in the urban planning which can be defined sustainable ? axial: assiale to beautify: abbellire broad: spazioso city-dweller: abitante della città domestication: addomesticamento farther out: più lontano growth: crescita to knock down: abbattere landmark: luogo storico loom: telaio overcrowded: sovrappopolato plough: aratro potter s wheel: ruota del vasaio to meet requirements: soddisfare le esigenze to radiate out: irradiarsi settlement: insediamento to spread: diffondersi to wander: vagabondare worship: culto 226 Module 7 Early times. Man has probably lived on Earth for about 2,5 million years but began to live in long-lasting settlements only about 10,000 years ago. Before that time, people wandered from place to place to find food. Between 8,000 to 10,000 years ago, systematic cultivation of plants and the domestication of animals made more permanent settlements possible. Around 4,000 B.C., the requirements for the urban revolution were finally met: the production of storable food, a system of writing, a more complex social Map of ancient Rome organisation and technological advances, e.g. the plough, potter s wheel, loom and metallurgy. The first true urban settlements appeared around 3,000 B.C. in ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt and the Indus Valley. Greeks and Romans. The building of cities has a long and complex history and people have done some city planning ever since the first cities appeared. In the past, citydwellers reserved certain areas for meetings, recreation, trade and worship. Athens and Rome were two great examples of this kind of urban organisation. Historians believe that Hippodamus, an ancient Greek architect, developed the first systematic theories about city planning. His works included plans for the use of land and the location of streets and buildings in the cities of Miletus and Piraeus. Middle Ages. Thick walls were built around cities during the Middle Ages. They provided protection to the city inhabitants and to rural people that could escape behind the walls during enemy attacks. Many cities became overcrowded because of population growth, but this problem was solved by knocking down the walls and rebuilding them farther out or by letting the walls stand and building new cities nearby. Religion played an important role in medieval European life and was reflected in the planning of many cities. The church stood in the centre of the city and was the biggest and most expensive building. The Medieval walls of Montagnana (Padua)