Text 3. Town centre

Occupying an important place in the plan structure of a town is the system of public centres differing in their func­tion and location. The town centre as a place of the greatest con­centration of public life is of particular importance. As a rule town centres are built up with administrative and commercial buildings, public and cultural establishments, large shops, and places of entertainment in a unified architectural ensemble do­minating the urban pattern and in harmony with its general plan structure.

From the viewpoint of convenience for the public, it is advisable to set the town centre in the geometric centre of the town. But it may often be necessary to locate the town centre away from the geometric centre due to the particular conditions of the territory, location of highways and the existing building pattern. Thus, in large seaport towns the centres are often located near the water. An example of a regular plan structure is the new shopping centre in the city of Abidjan (Ivory Coast). The centre provides for a flexible composition ensuring steady development using modern engineering infrastructure and the construction of high-rise buildings with 11-14 or more stories. The western sites are used for administrative buildings, the eastern — for the shopping; located to the north of the centre are cultural and sports facilities. The separation of automotive and pedestrian traffic is well planned. The central axis highway connects the centre to all the districts of the city. The population of the central district located on the Banko plateau is more than 50,000.

Text 4. Structure of residential area

The residential area of a town is mainly used for the construc­tion of housing complexes with cultural and service facilities. The residential area is divided into planning areas (for large cities), residential districts, residential neighbourhoods or communities and house groups .

House group is the basic element of a housing complex. It consists of several residential buildings with a day nursery and kindergarten . As a rule, the site is landscaped for use by the people living there.

Residential community is a complex of house groups. It includes residential buildings and/cultural and service facilities for day by day living located not more than 300-500 m from the residential buildings. The unifying clement of a community is the school and the public and shopping centre. The territory of a residential com­munity is bounded by residential streets and is usually located outside transportation highways.

Residential district is a larger housing complex . It includes several residential communities mutually linked by a system of service facilities that are used periodically and located within walking distance of 1,000-1,200 m. Local roads for serving the population may pass through the residential district.

Depending on natural climatic conditions, national traditions and life styles, the types of residential and public buildings, the 'form and kinds of public service facilities, the plan structure of residential complexes and services may achieve considerable di­versity .

It is common practice in the USSR to plan the network of cul­tural and service facilities in what is described as a stepped sy­stem:

Cafeterias, cafes, nurseries and kindergartens, schools, shops, service facilities, and cultural and educational institutions catering to the daily needs of the population are located in a residential community and are linked with the houses in the community by pedestrian streets.

Cinemas, clubs, libraries, restaurants, sports facilities, etc. which are attended periodically by the population, are located in public centres of a residential district within walking distance from a housing zone.