5. Village Walls and Towers

A true urban village lifestyle is the way most people prefer to live. As soon as groups of primitive people found themselves in peaceful accord, they built a village together. Whether the agreement between them was verbally communicated or not, it brought a measure of safety and  peace. People agreed to stop fighting, to protect each other by banding together against a common enemy and to work together on shared objectives. They agreed to trade skills, agreed to market and trade produce at a common marketplace or in speciality shops. Sometimes the “peace” they sought came about by accepting the protection of a leader in return for work and subservience. Even an agreement to be subservient brought a measure of peace which in turn, brought an opportunity to specialize and to profit.

In ancient cultures the safety wall was built first as here around Takht-e Suleyman in Azerbaijan.

The solid walls of Monteriggioni in Italy provide a sense of protection as do the tall walls of St. Malo in France below.

The tall towers of San Gimignano were built by warring families within the same village. They would hurl stones and even burning oil from their lofty perches down on anyone who came too close. In society the taller your tower,the greater your power and prestige. Paris has its Eiffel tower, Venice has its Campanile and Mr Trump has his Trump Tower. Even small villages have their towers, each one a symbol of prestige and power.

Tower Power and Prestige. 

Do theses images look familiar? 

Yes, it's all been done before.

Build your own towers, your villagers will love them and your competitors will hate and sadly perhaps even go so far as to attack them! 

Conclusions;
1. Furnish your development with a sense of security, symbolized by an entry arch or gateway.
2. Provide a sense of power and prestige by making even one structure way taller than the others.

Images: 1)latis-exeter 2)chaffeurs-italy 3)corsaires-malounis 4)Panoramio 5)Andy B 6)ecicalla77 7)Sonyfoto