Infrastructure Corridor as Linear City

Abstract

This paper concisely reviews the evolution of linear urban form concept, from pioneer linear city proposal to contemporary infrastructure corridor. Urban settlements appear through building processes over long periods of time. Different urban forms, such as linear, radial, or grid, are outcome of urban functions and infrastructure development. Ordinary village along a road, known from ancient times, symbolizes the linear urban form. The road is the village backbone along which habitation, manufacture, storage and trade are located. Pioneer linear city proposal (Soria y Mata) motivated other authors (Garnier, Le Corbusier, Milytin, and others) to reconsider linear concept. The main feature of linear concept is rapid and efficient movement of people and goods. Analogous to linear city, infrastructure corridor is a spine for an elongated urban formation, which can expand without growing wider. Contemporary Trans-European Transport Corridors, among which are the Corridor VII (the Danube) and the Corridor X passing through Serbia, provide infrastructure, urbanization and economic development. The Euro-corridors development international practice may be useful guideline for the spatial and urban planning in Serbia.