1. POMPEII & HERCULANEUM THE URBAN PLAN

2. THE URBAN PLAN
The typical Roman city had more public places and a more obviously public character than other cities.
The Forum was the epicenter of intense religious, economic political and social activity
The urban layout of Pompeii and Herculaneum reflect , not only its historical development but the central role played by the Forum and the towns relationship with the hinterland

5. Via Sabiae was the steepest street running from NW to SE
Pompeii was accessed by seven gates, five of which led to other towns.Streets were laid out on a grid, the main axial road( decumanii) crossed by minor roads ( cardini) creating blocks called insulae about 35x90 metres
The area covered approximately 66 hectares, only 2/3 of which have been excavated
Nola lay on the main NS road access. The Nola gate decreased in important with less need for defence
The Sarno river gave Pompeii the role of sea port for the adjacent hinterland
Streets were generally narrow, varying between 2.4,3.6 or 4.5 metres wide . At its widest the main street was 8.5 metres wide
Nuceria , also on the NS road axis drew its wealth from the river plain and southern regions of Campania
Stabiae was an important shipbuilding town
No commercial, or residential zoning exists and land use was not exclusively urban
The old City or “Aldstat”

6. The best preserved gates in Pompeii are Marina Gate, Stabiana Gate, Nolana Gate, and Ercolanense Gate. The Vesuvius Gate and Sarno Gate have been almost entirely destroyed.

7. The Porta Marina gate was originally gate to the sea .
There were two arches one for pedestrians and the other one for pack animals.
Porta marina gate

8. Vesuvian Gate

9. Porta de Nola

10. Porta Marina

11. Necropolis outside Porta Nocera

12. Elements of Streetscapes
Streetscapes represent the interrelationship between buildings, landscape and open spaces in the street scene.
Elements of streetscape are sidewalks, benches, fountains, street paving, crosswalks , public art and plantings.

13. VIA DELL’ ABBONDANZA Elevated sidewalks Crosswalks Street width
Street curve
Street paving
Street ruts

14. Drainage
On either side of the principal streets there were raised pavements or sidewalks
As the streets contained running water and garbage, large stepping stones were placed to enable pedestrians to cross. Ancient wagons were usually high enough to clear the stones.
Stepping stones were made from volcanic tufa Since they were intended to make the pedestrian's life easier, they tell something about the expected or customary flow of traffic and perhaps reveal the extent or status of that traffic

15. Paving in Pompeii
The center of the road is raised to allow water to run off into the gutters. The small white stones, ingeniously inserted randomly between the large stones, allowed people and animals to see the road after dark. Sidewalks, provided on each side of the road for pedestrians, also often contained some white tiles or small white stones to aid nighttime visibility.
The closer one moves to the Forum, the more frequent the white stones.
Note the shape and size of the paving stones. The stones were particularly well fitted together, with gaps less than 3mm.

16. Streets varied in width, reflecting the relative volume of pedestrian and wheeled traffic

17. Innocents Abroad- Mark Twain

18. STREET FOUNTAINS
At many of the street intersection , public fountains, with sculptured headstones over rectangular stone troughs, provided water for the inhabitants. These were fed by lead pipes running beneath the sidewalks from two huge cisterns, one at the Vesuvius Gate( high up in the town) and the other near the Forum Baths. The water to these cisterns was via an aquaduct which fed Neopolis and MisenumSo far 42 public fountains have been excavated at Pompeii and 3 at Herculaneum

19. The location of fountains may be significant in that they could indicate neighborhoods groupings. The decoration of the fountains could also indicate the status of both the neighborhood in comparison to other neighborhoods, and the status of the patron of the fountain. One of the best-know examples of fountains at Pompeii lies at the juncture of the forum and the beginning of one of the main thoroughfares, the Via Dell’Abbondanza. The basin of the fountain is unusual in that it is carved from limestone rather than lesser quality stone, and in addition has a fine sculpture of the goddess Fortuna/Concordia with the spigot still visible.

20. Standpipes-a high vertical pipe or reservoir that is used to secure a uniform pressure in a water-supply system

21. Sculptured head, and potruding pipe.

22. Via Stabiae

24. Public Shrine
The manner in which intersections received varying degrees of emphasis by the concentration in them of elements that might be called "urban furniture," i.e., fountains, shrines, arches, standpipes, these features and the manner in which the elements along the Strada Stabiana inflected pedestrian traffic toward the forum are discussed by William Westfall and Mark Schimmenti in the report of The Forum Project.

25. Planting in Pompeii The Temple of Venus at Pompeii
The fact that much of the courtyard at the temple of Venus appears to have been paved certainly would not be a hindrance to the planting of vegetation. A number of later public squares and courtyards associated with temples in Rome were paved, but they had cuttings or spaces left in the paving to accommodate trees, bushes, planting beds and water features.
Excavation in the north-west part of the courtyard, however, shows that at least along the tufa water channel in front of the northern colonnade there was no paving. Instead, plantings were inserted here. Evidence for a row of such plantings, perhaps myrtle bushes sacred to Venus, are the complete and fragmentary terracotta planting pots inserted into pits, the root cavities of bushes or small trees, and the voids left by wooden stakes to prop up whatever was growing in this planting bed (insert fig. 8). It is not known at the present time where the boundary between the mortar-paved area and the planting bed lay. 

26. Factors influencing the Urban form of Pompeii

27. HERCULANEUM

28. Herculaneum- a unique plan
Although only thirty percent of Herculaneum has been excavated , major differences are apparent.
The towns orderly succession of rectangular blocks is Greek in its inception
Unlike the streets of Pompeii, road surfaces were smooth stone, with no signs of heavy traffic
Stepping stones were not necessary due to the underground drainage system
No evidence of extensive manufacturing, although there is evidence of fishing and skilled craftsmen
To date, no brothels have been found
The main street of Herculaneum is 40 feet wide with 12 feet sidewalks on either side. Sidewalks are protected by overhanging roofs.
Due to the different volcanic experience, whole two storey houses have been preserved as well as carbonized wooden features.

33. AERIAL VIEW- HERCULANEUM