Planned residential units: New development trajectories

Abstract

The paper summarizes the transformation patterns of functional, morphological, social, and administrative structures of residential planning units –district (Russia, Eastern Europe), neighborhood (USA), community (UK, Europe) as the smallest structural and planning elements of settlements. The article is based on the author's own on-site survey of the existing and new residential planning units, as well as on the analysis of theoretical sources. As shown by the multidisciplinary analysis of the theoretical concepts and on-site surveys, residential planning units formed in the early twentieth century retain their social and planning importance and self-sufficiency, evolve, and acquire new qualities and forms. At the same time, they remain, according to the current regulatory and legal instruments the basic planning elements of urban structure in the early twenty-first century. This article also includes experimental analysis of the theoretical concepts of residential planning units’ transformation, conceptual planning model of residential planning units and principles of their formation in the early twenty-first century.