The Renaissance city Planning and cities

Giulio Argan's work is "concerned only with the those urbanistic factors which in Italy, during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries brought about a transformation of the medieval city" (pg 9). He examines how the rise of Humanistic culture shaped a new conception of the historical and political values of the city. Medieval cities lacked a wide range of political functions, the streets were narrow, and monuments were secondary and rarely planned around. This changed drastically in the Renaissance when divisions began to be made within the city for housing, public affairs, and productive activity. This occurred by 1) opening up streets 2) addition of new sections of the city 3) erection of monuments that were to affect the development of structures in new areas. Also, the advent of new military tactics and advances in cannons and the science of cannonading turned many towns into new cities as bulwarks for the most important cities. For example, a ring of new cities were constructed inland to protect a land invasion of Venice. By far the most interesting (to me) part of this long essay was his look at the rise of architectural treatises, which were another advent of the Renaissance. Many of these treatises influenced by Vitruvius, such as Leon Battista Alberti's 'De re aedificatoria' had the idealistic aim to try to bring about the rebirth of the ancient city. Single buildings became an element in a natural urban context subordinate to the norms of symmetry, perspective, and proportion. Argan also looks at idealized cities of Francesco Sforza and how many of these Renaissance ideals were applied to existing cities, such as Rome, Pienza, etc. Although this is only an extended essay, half the pages are wonderful photographs, plans, diagrams, etc all connected by number with the essay, which greatly help reader comprehension. This is a brief read that fulfills Argan's stated thesis comprehensibly and perhaps most importantly, inspires further research and reading.