C.A.

Doxiadis
&
The Science of Human
Settlements

C.A. Doxiadis & His Books

1. Constantinos Apostolou Doxiadis
- Greek Architect Engineer
- Awarded 12 honorary degrees

2. His Books:
-

Ekistics 1968
Anthropopolis 1974
Ecumenopolis 1975
Building Entopia 1975
Action for Human Settlements 1976

He described cities as
- Urban nightmares, irrational
structure, clogged arteries,
congested streets, pollution &
environmental degradation, lack of
sufficient housing, facilities and
services are poor.

EKISTICS

ECONOMICS

SOCIAL
SCIENCES

CULTURAL
DISCIPLINES

- Science of human
settlements, Greek term
meaning settling
down

EKISTICS

TECHNICAL POLICAL SCIENCE

DISCIPLINES
&
ADMINISTRATION

- All other science of human settlements

conditioned by men and influenced by

economic, social, political, administrative
and technical science as well as disciplined
related to the arts.

According to Doxiadis critical

conditions common to all cities are
as follows:

1. There is an unprecedented increase in population due

to improved living conditions, accompanied by a
migration to urban settlements. The result is growth
of urban settlements at a tremendous scale.
2. We experience multiple impacts of machines in our
lives.
3. There is a gradual socialization in the patterns of
living, which allows the whole population to
participate more and move in the city, its facilities
and resources.
4. In the modern city, growth and change over time is a
dominant feature, which must take precedence in all
planning considerations.

Doxiadis formulated a set of

conceptual models which formed the
foundation of ekistics. Five of the most
important ones are:
1. The five elements of human settlements
or ekistic elements man, society, nature,
shells and networks, and their
relationships.
2. The Ekistic Logarithmic Scale (ELS) and
the ekistic units.
3. The ekistic grid, consisting of units of
space and five elements of human
settlements.
4. The model of satisfaction
5. The Anthropocomos model

The City & Its Elements

(Kevin Lynch)
Paths
- Channels along which the observer
customarily occasionally or potentially
moves.

Edges
- the linear elements not used or considered
as paths by the observer
- Boundaries between two phases, linear
breaks in continuity (shores, railroad cuts,
edges of development, walls.

Districts
- Medium to large sections of the city
conceived of a having two dimensional
extent which the observer mentally enters
inside y and which are recognizable as
having some common identity character.

Elements of Human
Settlements / Ekistics
(Doxiadis)
Networks
- For transportation, communication and
utilities support the settlements and tie
them together with their organization
and structure. Their changes
profoundly affect urban pattern and
often developments in networks have
been portending new development in
cities and societies.
Society
- Deals with people and their interaction
with population trends, group behavior,
social customs, occupation, income,
and government. Of increasing
importance is the preservation of
values inherent in small communities
after they have been absorbed by
larger settlements.
Shells
- Are used as the generic term for all
buildings
and structures

The City & Its Elements

(Kevin Lynch)

Elements of Human
Settlements / Ekistics
(Doxiadis)

Nodes
- Points, the strategic spots in a city into
which an observer can enter and which are
the intensive foci to and from which he is
traveling.

Nature
-Represents the ecosystem within which
man and society operate and cities and
settlements are placed. The interrelation
between man, machine, settlement and
nature is of high importance as is the
carrying capacity of regions, continents
and ultimately the entire planet.

Landmarks

Man
- In the center stands man, the
individual human being. The generic term
includes male and female. Later Doxiadis
replaced man with the Greek term
anthropos to be more inclusive.

- Another type of point reference, but in this

case, the observer does not
enter within them, they are external
- Simply defined physical objects, building,
sign, stone or mountain