The word "neighborhood" is translated from Greek as "small area". This is a whole complex of residential buildings, as well as many social and commercial institutions. A certain transport hub or highway is necessarily adjacent to the microdistrict.
Features of the microdistrict
The microdistrict as an urban structural unit has a number of features. Firstly, the microdistrict never intersects with transport arteries. Secondly, the radius of public services should not exceed one kilometer. The meaning of the word "neighborhood" speaks for itself.
When designing a neighborhood, architects take into account the number of people who must live in it. As a rule, this figure does not exceed 20 thousand people. Social facilities such as schools, kindergartens, clinics are located in the microdistrict, depending on the population. The higher the density, the greater the number of social objects.
As for public transport, the average distance between stops should not exceed 500 meters.
As a rule, a microdistrict on a general city map has a rectangular or square shape. Multi-storey buildings, which are used to build up areas and neighborhoods, are also built according to certain rules: inland and in a strictly defined order. That's what a neighborhood is.
An interesting fact: the borders that separate microdistricts and other streets of the city are called “red lines”.
Microdistrict or quarter?
Most citizens, with the exception, of course, of people with an architectural background, confuse the definition of "neighborhood" and "quarter". Meanwhile, these two concepts are not connected in any way. To understand how a quarter differs from a microdistrict, a few simple definitions will help. They are the basis.
So, let’s recall what a microdistrict is. This is an architectural complex consisting of several residential and social buildings that go deep into the street. Most often, the neighborhood is poorly adapted for moving pedestrians.
Quarter Features
The quarter has a wider structure and forms an individual environment along the entire street. The main features remain:
- amenities for free movement of pedestrians;
- restriction of parking and individual parking spaces, until the streets are completely free of cars and the concept of a “yard without cars” is applied;
- low-rise residential, commercial and social buildings, from one to three floors;
- the use of architectural and design ideas in the organization of the quarter.
The layout of the quarter is a type of mixed development. This means that within walking distance from each other can be entertainment centers, social facilities, living quarters, as well as business centers and commercial buildings. It is located all compactly, without prejudice to the overall architectural appearance of the city.
In addition, in large cities you can find neighborhoods, united by one theme. For example, theatrical, Latin, Chinatown.
The negative impact of the neighborhood
The description of the microdistrict is hardly rainbow. As a rule, all buildings of social, residential and domestic purposes within the microdistrict have the same gray appearance. Similar paintings increase the psychological burden on a person. Constant invisible pressure can lead to apathy and depression, a feeling of oppressive space depresses a person and I want to quickly get out to places where my eyes rejoice in bright colors and architectural diversity.
The same type of development of the microdistrict over time leads to the feeling of a ghetto, where almost nothing changes. Residents want to change their place of residence and move to a more spacious and green neighborhood, where children will have the opportunity to play on playgrounds for a long time.
