Fine grain in the making of urban life

In urban planning, we can speak of different types of “grain” to describe how land parcels and property divisions are organized within cities. When a neighborhood is split into many small plots, it has a fine grain. Contrariwise, when blocks are occupied by only a few large buildings, we speak of a thick grain.

The advantages of fine-grain neighborhoods are numerous: they reduce the risk and investment required to build, allow for flexible changes of use over time and, above all, enable urban life. A subdivided fabric allows a greater number of destinations for pedestrians —restaurants, cafés, shops, lobbies— to appear within the shortest possible distance. This is what happens in places like Avenida Larco or Jirón de la Unión, and what makes them pleasant to walk through... READ MORE

Although the buildings along Avenida Las Begonias belong to a single owner and occupy entire blocks, they could still cultivate a fine grain at street level. When a large tenant occupies the entire ground floor —as is the case of ZARA store— the block ends up offering only three or four entrances and destinations along 300 meters of pavement... READ MORE

Thinking carefully about the buildings to be constructed is far more decisive than widening pavements, planting trees or replacing floor finishes in an urban regeneration effort. If this model is repeated in subsequent developments, it will undermine any attempt to transform the area into a neighborhood that is enjoyable for pedestrians and rich in urban life.