Florence grid iron

Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance, early exhibited a sensate

use of the Renaissance tools of city renewal and design. Originally a
Roman camp, laid out on a grid pattern, the later rapid growth of the
city was along roads beyond the grid, and was disorderly.
The built-up area, like all the cities founded by the Romans, was characterized
by
straight roads which crossed at right angles. The two main roads led to four
towered gates and converged on a central square.
Florence social and economy
Florence was one of the wealthiest areas in Italy during the Renaissance.
It was also a MAJOR trade route because of it's geographic location(proximity
to river arno and a mountain pass), and it was a very active commerce center.
Economic power was the driving force behind the urban growth of the young colony
. Commercial
activity and trade thrived as important communication
routes, land and water, intersected at Florentia.
Also, the feudal system began to come to an end, giving people more freedom and
independence which also helped them focus on building wealth and patronize the
arts.
The Medici family was also a major force at play here. They were a banking
family and based in Florence and huge patrons of the arts so they alone helped
to stimulate a lot of the artistic culture there.
It was easier to accumulate wealth and industry continued to grow. Cities grew
rapidly and the population shifted from agricultural life to city life, where
jobs were more plentiful.
growing middle and upper class of merchants and bankers.
This increase the number of people being taxed and meant more wealth to fund
expansion abroad.

Political
After the collapse of the Roman Empire around 500ad the only unifying force
remaining was the Roman Catholic Church. Outside invasions declined and the
rulers began to consolidate their power and concentrate on self-preservation.
Development varied depending on the region. In Italy, as towns grew, Italians
demanded self-rule and many times the cities developed into strong city-states.
North of the Alps, national monarchs established their power over the nobility.
Both of these trends had their roots in the Medieval Era but neither trend
came to dominate.
The Piazza Signoria represented a centralization of the city on a medieval scale
. The rise of the merchant princes and the subsequent increase in the power of
Florence led to attempts to increase the viability of the merchants claims to pos
itions within the aristocracy.

Florentine Aesthetics
The construction of the dome marks the beginning of Renaissance
architecture; the cathedral and its dome together represent early Renaissance
style--one that blends old and new designs.
Palaces visually relates the ancient monuments, the Palazzo Vecchio, the dome
of the cathedral, and the sculpture in the Piazza della Signoria, and fuses the
perpendicular movement from the square onto the movement along the course of
the Arno, thus dramatizing the river s existence.

SOCIAL FLORENCE
Italian city-states such as Florence and Venice possessed distinct social
structures shaped by their economic and political bases. These social
hierarchies were reflected in many aspects of everyday life such as dress,
housing, food, entertainment and the social map of the city based on
neighbourhoods.
Social relationships were competitive, pragmatic or co-operative typified by eco
nomic and
political networks, but rarely as personal ties like love or friendship.
The functional view has been shaped by evidence of conventions such as the
strategic location of families within neighbourhoods, marriage contracts and
dowries, and the institutionalisation of charity.
DEFENCE FLORENCE
For the sake of defense, the city was set at the
confluence of two streams, the Arno and the Mugnone, where the oldest
populations had previously been located.
The city developed rapidly due to its favorable position and the role it
played in the ambit of the territorial organization in the region.
Rectangular in plan, it was enclosed in a wall about 1800 meters long.
Urban infrastructure
Florence, like many cities of the Renaissance, had been built over many years an
d so was
home to numerous churches, public buildings, and houses constructed with Romanes
que or
Gothic architecture. Therefore, when a revival of classical styles became popula
r, new
edifices in the classical style were built alongside or added to buildings of ol
der styles.
The five great district churches, Santa Maria Novella, Santa Crocce, Il Carmen,
Santissima
Annunciata, and Santa Espirito, became the focal points around which the life of
the city was organized.
Complete and orderly unification of the squares with arcades and fountains.
Street system to interconnect the major church buildings, with a careful integra
tion of

old and new buildings, throughout the Renaissance.

Important public works such as the Capitoline Baths, the Baths of Capaccio, the
sewage system,
the pavement of the streets and the Temple of Isis, in Piazza San Firenze.
River port outside the city walls that constituted an important infrastructure f
or the city.

https://www.academia.edu/6653470/History_of_Florence_from_the_founding_of_the_ci
ty_through_the_Renaissance