Mediterranean Urbanism

Historic Urban / Building Rules and Processes

This book brings together historic urban / building rules and codes for the geographic areas including Greece, Italy and Spain. The author achieved his ambitious goal of finding pertinent rules and codes that were followed in previous societies for the processes that formed the built environment of their towns and cities, including building activities at the neighborhood level and the decision-making process that took place between proximate neighbors. The original languages of the texts that were translated into English are Greek, Latin, Italian, Arabic and Spanish. The sources for the chapter on Greece date from the 2nd century B.C.E. to the 19th century C.E. Those for the chapter on Italy date from the 10th to the 14th centuries C.E. and for the chapter on Spain from the 5th to the 18th centuries C.E. Numerous appendices are included to enhance and elaborate on the material that make up the chapters. This book provides lessons and insights into how compact and sustainable towns and cities that are greatly admired today were achieved in the past and how we and future generations can learn from this rich heritage, including the valuable insight provided by the nature of the rules and codes and their application through centuries of continuous use.