The Urban Design of Tuscan Hill Towns

Observations by Andrew Parish

All those who visit the historic hill-towns of

Tuscany agree that they are lovely to look at
and delightful to be in. This is due largely to the
pedestrien orientation of medieval cities, which
were obviously built at a time when the major
urban transportation issue was one of sanitation.

Due to a variety of historic and cultural factors,

both deliberate and accidental, many Tuscan
cities have survived without much change to A typical facade in Siena
their urban form. What follows is a description of
the design elements that stood out the most to
me, having grown up in American suburbs and
worked in the ultra-modern Chinese megacity of
Shenzhen.

Level of Detail

Tuscan cities are ornamented with a very fine-

grained level of detail that is best experienced
on foot (as opposed to ornamentation designed
to attract motorists at 30+mph).

Due to the construction materials and facade

regulations of historic towns, even buildings that What lies around the next bend?
are not deliberately ornamented or “activated”
present a highly appealing face to the city that Street Enclosure Ratio
adds to the pedestrian experience.

Curvilinear Streets

Curvilinear roads have come under attack in

recent years for their overuse in suburban
developments and the low levels of connectivity
they create in that context. But in a dense,
1:1 Ratio 1:2 Ratio
pedestrian-oriented city, these organic streets
can create a sense of mystery for the adventurous
visitor eager to see what awaits further down
the road. This is especially true when streets
open up onto public plazas and monuments, as
is often the case in Tuscany.

This street design can also baffle the high winds

found atop hills in the region, and can slow
stormwater runoff.

Enclosure

A good pedestrian environment is scaled to

provide a sense of enclosure, with a strong and
continuous building line. Enclosure also serves
to keep streets cool in hot weather by limiting
the reach of sunlight. The narrowness of many
roads and the height of buildings in Tuscan cities
contributes to a very high enclosure ratio.

3:1 Ratio
 Intersection Density

A high density of intersections in a street network

can lead to shorter trips, more choices in the route
travelled, and a higher propensity to explore. In
contrast, “superblocks” of 400 feet on each side
and few places to cross major roads or structures
discourage adventurous behavior.

Permeable Structures

Numerous openings and awnings provide access

and permeability through the solid facade of public
places in Tuscan hill towns.
One of many portals to the Piazza del Campo
Limited Automobile Access

Very little space is devoted to the throughput and

storage of automobiles in these cities. Parking
lots for tourists are often outside the city walls,
and what space there is within the city is limited.
Speeds are kept very low with narrow, winding
streets and little segregation of pedestrian and
automotive uses.

Connection to the Past

Given that the Renaissance - the basis for Western

Pedestrian-Autmotive Interactions in San Gimignano
thinking - originated in Tuscany, we may well have
an inherited cultural memory of the area. The
aesthetic value of both the urban environment
and the surrounding landscape are recognized and
protected by government and community groups
for centuries. New construction must fit in with the
region’s historic character, even though this may
conflict with recent ideas about green building or
renewable energy generation.

Distinction between City and Country

While economic, social, and cultural connections

have linked Tuscan cities and countryside very
Urban/Rural Divide in Panzano tightly for centuries, there is a distinct divide
between the two. Unlike the smear of development
that defines the urban form in much of the United
States, in Tuscany there is never a question of
whether or not one is in the city.

Public Space

Tuscan hilltowns are centered around vital public

plazas that are the centers of cultural activity,
drawing tourists today as they have since antiquity.

The Piazza del Campo, one of the most famous public spaces in the world