The commercial-residential building and local urban form

Abstract

Many buildings that combine commercial and residential uses share attributes of urban location and architectural organization that occur in different cultures. These similarities come about because of similar factors of local urban economics. Comparisons between commercial-residential buildings in three cities -New York, Amsterdam, and Kyoto -show that they are located on streets with connectivity to larger business districts, and in places that are suited to both commercial and residential activity. Their architectural features are also dependent on their urban location. They are narrow buildings, their residential entrances are restrained relative to their commercial frontage, and their façades display both commercial and residential functions. These common attributes combine with culturallydetermined features of style, architectural organization and construction to produce buildings that are both unique to their place and recognizable across the world. © International Seminar on Urban Form, 2009.