tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19151341.post9311670032575223..comments2024-03-16T16:12:13.296+00:00Comments on some LANDSCAPES: A snowfall on the Esquiline HillPliniushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06529481330530614513noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19151341.post-72528716781109301012010-12-24T09:43:31.469+00:002010-12-24T09:43:31.469+00:00I really enjoyed your Christmas blog and it stirre...I really enjoyed your Christmas blog and it stirred my memory banks. Next October, my old friend, Graham King, and I will celebrate the 50th anniversary of our starting the Diploma in Town Planning course at University College, London. We had an an inspiring teacher for the History of Town Planning. Dr Bruno Schlaffenburg drew to our attention the work by the Austrian, Camillo Sitte, entitled ‘City Planning according to Aesthetic Principles’ (1899). My notes have long gone but I recall that he advocated the desirability of respecting desire lines. This meant noting how people moved around a town and in which direction they prefered to move in. One of the best ways of doing this is to look at the tracks made by pedestrians across snow covered squares and other open spaces. I have never forgotten the principle and I think of it most times I use a new pedestrian crossing over the nearby main road which has not been sited to meet an existing foot path across a large grassed area. Those who want to use the crossing now walk across the grass. So snow not only gives a wonderful and beautiful homogeneity to roofscapes but is a cheap and useful tool for planners. Mind you, I will be glad when the thaw comes!!!snarlersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13117760284163716428noreply@blogger.com