ABSTRACT
This chapter builds a framework of theory based on contemporary ideas of good city form in order to understand how the supergrid and superblock structures work to facilitate or impede effective functioning in contemporary Chinese and Japanese cities – that is, how specific forms within this urban structure combine, for better or worse, to affect the functional use of space. Between the physical and functional spheres of cities, the most dominant and powerful interconnections can be understood from the interplay between streets and activities. The interrelationship between city structure, movement, and activities is mostly manifest in the interplay between the street network and the functional uses of space. Integration, connection, and interaction are three fundamental principles that need to be achieved to maintain a good interconnection between form and function. A wide range of measures can be found for form and function in urban studies.
