**2.4 City as an urban utopian and empathy space**

Utopian space has a special feature. It is defined as combining both the close order and the distant order, at the concept level, between urban isotope and heterotopy. But if these are characteristics that address the material existence, therefore exclusively to what is perceived (in volumetric, color, movement, noise), the space considered as utopian has a deep subjective potential, its appreciation being closely related to the psychic. Heterotopic spaces are spaces that reveal different places, each supported by different functional, spatial, and encompassing characteristics. But also within the same urban space—the more complex it is, the more obvious this observation is—we can also find isotopic states or heterotopic states, which gives the space a homogeneity or heterogeneity. Symbols are commonly applied to formal iconographic representations. Symbolism encompasses complex conceptual codes and pictorial representations of a worldview that operates on multiple levels and scales [10]. Differentiation in the sense of heterotopy isotope, in the context of an urban situation, is not fixed. Urban symbolism is commonly associated with the enhancement of formal urban figures, objects, or pieces of the collection and landmarks [11]. The utopian space is, in general, a symbolic space, and what the architects forget, a space with imaginary availability not for themselves, but for those who cross it as ignorant of a survey methodology of analysis, but directly and perhaps impressively primitive. For example, a utopian space can be, within the city, an organized market, but extremely wide, whose limits come out of the natural perception, the image retaining the volumetric, but also a passage of the outer space. Then our psyche, as well as our imaginary, intervenes in determining a certain environment, a certain impression at that moment and in that place. As a utopian space, any urban space may appear during the night, when a number of aspects of its configuration fade, even though during the day it may be an isotopic or heterotopic space. The significance of urban space, obviously determined by its functionality and geometrical-spatial appreciation, cannot be achieved except for a small but constructive, utopian value. The monumental, like the enchanting, are features that serve the significance of the urban space; however, there are traits that constitute a spatial approach/recognition/perception, at least in part utopian.

*– What is urban empathy space?*

An important type of urban space is empty space, which represents a space that attracts and even ends up being filled (both personally and figuratively), in the sense that it attracts people at a certain time in relation to a certain activity located here temporarily, so it attracts certain interests to confront here and, as such, can even find a symbolic "filling," finds a certain content. It is wrong to argue that such a space should be conceived, in the context of urban modernization, as a neutral space, because, when it is accidentally occupied, it expresses the beginning of a new phase of spatial expansion, and when it is periodically occupied, it expresses a need, of organized space [10]. And in one case, and in the other, the permanence of his occupation as a mono- or polyvalent space imposes a configuration that can no longer be left as an indifferent space in relation to the neighborhood. There is a natural tendency of the urban phenomenon that, gradually, by decommissioning some previously occupied spaces, they will become indifferent spaces in the urban structure, which leads to some unfavorable situations for the city: an increase of the affected territories, thus the deterioration of the qualities of the urban framework, the deterioration the balance of spatial differentiation in the territory, and the loss of features that particularized the respective places. Mastering this process, be easy to talk about the neutralization of some urban existences, thus presents a special significance, making it difficult for a direct intervention on the existing built fund: finding the possible values, monitoring the state, maintaining them, and properly completing them.

The urban form is defined by the physical characteristics of the urban framework, customized by:


The urban form represents the morphological component of the urban framework. It is displayed by a great diversity of morphological compositions, capable of individualizing and customizing various areas of the city or the city as a whole, depending on:


It is required to put more attention to the city as a territorial and social entity, countless works being focused on increasing social polarization, which is increasingly evident in the internal structure of cities. The effects of poverty and marginalization of social groups and ethnicities are more and more manifested in urban spatial structures. Today the application by postmodernism in urban geography remains problematic, and it is necessary to adopt relativism in science. Postmodernism should be the final point in a millennial evolution of art and science. Is it true that science has reached this level above which it is no longer possible to go categorically; therefore, the postmodernist stage in the evolution of thinking in the field of urban geography should be regarded as a temporary one, improperly named, because of the progress made by registered so far; it shows that future changes will be quite astonishing. The contemporary urban evolution leads to an increase in the power of urban control over human activities and, at the same time, an increase of the vulnerability of cities and urban systems. This vulnerability must be treated in light of the sustainable development of the city in general.

**11**

*City Phenomenon between Urban Structure and Composition*

**3. Design concept between urban composition, visual form,** 

Today, when the history of design as an independent field of art history and scientific discipline has acquired quite specific features, it becomes relevant to pay attention to the historical development of individual local areas of design. One of them and the young ones are the design of the urban environment or urban design. The term "urban design," as noted by a professor of Sydney University, John Lang, appeared in the 1950s. He, as well as his synonym for the "designing city environment," has firmly entered the professional vocabulary of the designer which is used to designate nominations for competitions and exhibitions of design festivals and to name specializations in design education. A design feature is that each thing is considered not only from the point of view of benefit and beauty but also from the point of view of the functioning process, that is, taking into account how the item will be transported, how to pack, where and what place it will occupy in the apartment, what care should be taken, how to be included, etc. In the design domain, visual design tools are common for plastic arts: point, line, texture, texture, color, shape, volume, proportion, mass, and space. These components are combined based on the principles of composition: symmetry, asymmetry, balance, rhythm, movement, etc. The design has widespread use and such means as the proportion of the golden ratio. Harmony and contrast as a universal means of art are systemically important in design. It is especially important for the art design to take into account the dependence of the shape of the object on the materials used, structures, and production technology. Design plays an important role in human creativity products. Design areas are household appliances, dishes, furniture, machine tools,

*– Why design and build something that will not solve the problem without creating* 

The designer is looking for the optimal shape of each element, taking into account how it depends on the work function (purpose) of the product and its relationships with the person. Design is a special product of specific, abstract, and, at the same time, imaginative thinking. It is also created based on fundamental knowledge: philosophy, esthetics, anthropology, the foundations of visual literacy, and psychology. It involves the study of engineering, technology, ergonomics, ecology and system design, etc. The professional activity of the designer, both developing on social grounds and based on the natural qualities of a person (esthetic, emotional and intellectual), established the role and place of design in public life. The meaning of designing is to become a unique, powerful, and effective means of influencing the esthetic and the ennobled activity of society. Thus, the design is a rather specific and significant sphere of activities of people, which by its nature is as human as, say, education, science, and healthcare. Design functions are not only the creation of appropriate products but also advisory, methodological, and coordinating; the design is a special branch of people's life. The functions, structure, place, the role of design, as well as its evolution are not sufficiently studied in philosophical and cultural literature, in which the appeal to these topics is only partial. To date, there is not even a generally accepted definition of the phenomenon of "design" [9]. Moreover, meanwhile, this phenomenon causes increased practical and theoretical interest in our society. Today the contemporary cities are marked by invisible borders, which delimit areas and "territories," separating the inhabitants. This social fragmentation is best reflected in the way resources are distributed,

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.90443*

vehicles, graphics, clothes, and more.

*bigger problems?*

**and human life**

*Sustainability in Urban Planning and Design*

work, customized by:

depending on:

• The geometry of space and construction template

• The relationships between the elements of the urban framework

• Various stages of its development (temporal dimension)

(economic-social dimension)

The urban form represents the morphological component of the urban framework. It is displayed by a great diversity of morphological compositions, capable of individualizing and customizing various areas of the city or the city as a whole,

• The destination of the buildings and spaces (functional dimension), of the importance of the buildings, and of the material resources of investors/owners

It is required to put more attention to the city as a territorial and social entity, countless works being focused on increasing social polarization, which is increasingly evident in the internal structure of cities. The effects of poverty and marginalization of social groups and ethnicities are more and more manifested in urban spatial structures. Today the application by postmodernism in urban geography remains problematic, and it is necessary to adopt relativism in science. Postmodernism should be the final point in a millennial evolution of art and science. Is it true that science has reached this level above which it is no longer possible to go categorically; therefore, the postmodernist stage in the evolution of thinking in the field of urban geography should be regarded as a temporary one, improperly named, because of the progress made by registered so far; it shows that future changes will be quite astonishing. The contemporary urban evolution leads to an increase in the power of urban control over human activities and, at the same time, an increase of the vulnerability of cities and urban systems. This vulnerability must be treated in light of the sustainable development of the city in general.

An important type of urban space is empty space, which represents a space that attracts and even ends up being filled (both personally and figuratively), in the sense that it attracts people at a certain time in relation to a certain activity located here temporarily, so it attracts certain interests to confront here and, as such, can even find a symbolic "filling," finds a certain content. It is wrong to argue that such a space should be conceived, in the context of urban modernization, as a neutral space, because, when it is accidentally occupied, it expresses the beginning of a new phase of spatial expansion, and when it is periodically occupied, it expresses a need, of organized space [10]. And in one case, and in the other, the permanence of his occupation as a mono- or polyvalent space imposes a configuration that can no longer be left as an indifferent space in relation to the neighborhood. There is a natural tendency of the urban phenomenon that, gradually, by decommissioning some previously occupied spaces, they will become indifferent spaces in the urban structure, which leads to some unfavorable situations for the city: an increase of the affected territories, thus the deterioration of the qualities of the urban framework, the deterioration the balance of spatial differentiation in the territory, and the loss of features that particularized the respective places. Mastering this process, be easy to talk about the neutralization of some urban existences, thus presents a special significance, making it difficult for a direct intervention on the existing built fund: finding the possible values, monitoring the state, maintaining them, and properly completing them. The urban form is defined by the physical characteristics of the urban frame-

**10**
