Chapter 11
Towns, townscapes and squares
An appreciation of landscape – the aesthetic quality of the
countryside – has been part of our culture for at least two
hundred years, but its urban equivalent – townscape – is a
relative newcomer. The urban theorist and graphic
delineator of towns Gordon Cullen drew our attention to
‘townscape’ in a series of articles in the Architectural
Review about thirty years ago. His subsequent book, The
Concise Townscape, remains a valuable introduction to
the subject. What Cullen and others have sought to
show is that towns have aesthetic qualities just as rich
as the countryside, and that the recording and preserving
the poetry of the urban scene is as important as
protecting the beauties of the landscape.
What, then, makes up the beauty of towns, both
ancient and modern? Different theories prevail, especially
between urban theorists of a European as against
American bent. On the whole, we are dealing with the
following key qualities, each worthy of exploration
through the sketchbook:
- squares, enclosed places and centres of activity;
- routes through the town such as streets, alleyways,
lanes and footpaths; - landmarks of varying types such as church spires,
high office buildings and transmitter masts.
These important elements of urban character are
supported by a secondary layer of features that provide
rhythm, patterning and changes of scale or punctuation.
Hence we may find that a pattern running through the
glazing of an office building is echoed in the paving of a
square at its base: façade and space are thus united by a
commonality of line.
The sketchbook is a useful tool for understanding
towns and cultivating an awareness of the complex visual
language of the city. Unlike the countryside, many cities,
especially big modern ones, are very complicated; their
spatial structure may be disjointed and the skyline a
battleground for different styles. In spite of this, the
freehand sketch is a useful starting point for analysis. As
when drawing a landscape, one has to be selective, and it
is best to avoid a too literal representation of the urban
scene. A good townscape drawing focuses upon
relationships and highlights the crucial elements such as
the street line, silhouette and entry point.
Whether one is drawing countryside or a town,
establishing the structure of the view is of great
importance. The relationship of hedges and trees to a
field in the landscape sketch is analogous to that of
buildings and towers to a street in the townscape
drawing. To focus upon the windows and doors of the90 Understanding architecture through drawing