Most gateways derive their justification from
questions of security, but they also perform a useful
function in terms of legibility. Big cities are perceived as
collections of villages or neighbourhoods. Each should
have its own community focus, public buildings and
entrances. The edge of the ‘village’ is often defined by a
major road or railway line with entrances marked by
significant buildings. Often, as in the approaches into
Hampstead Garden Suburb, London, the entrance
buildings look like gateways and suggest an element of
celebration. Hence to draw them is not only enjoyable but
instructive of the nature of cities.
The modern movement in architecture and town
planning played down the question of entrances. The
wish to depict an air of democracy and freedom led to
openness, not enclosure, in urban design. As a
consequence, the twentieth-century city became
windswept in appearance, with spaces between buildings
lacking territorial definition and used mainly for low-grade
activities such as car parking. The re-creation of boundary,
edge and gateway is one of the challenges faced by
current urban designers. Modern cities are undergoing a
crisis of legibility that the introduction of gateways, using
perhaps the roundabouts on the inner ring roads as a
starting point, would help to solve.
14.1
The gateway into the old town
of San Felice Circeo, Italy, is
marked by an abrupt change
of direction. Once a fortified
entrance, the gateway has only
symbolic value today.14.2
This residential courtyard
alongside a busy road in Holt,
Norfolk, is marked by a pair of
gatepiers and screen wall. The
area is clearly identified as
private territory, not public.Gateways, entrances and doorways 115