Palaces of the ideal city and its two-level streets
Upper streets for gentlemen, lower for carts and goods; sloped roads drain to hidden channels
A large perspective drawing presents the palaces of the ideal city, threaded by the two-level street system (M, N, f, p, S), with an arcaded upper gallery, a lower street and a covered ramp descending at left. The note fixes the upper streets six braccia above the lower and twenty braccia wide, each crowned so rainwater runs through a finger-wide slot into channels beneath. Colonnaded porticoes six braccia deep line both edges; the high streets, barred to carts, are reserved for gentlemen, while carts and provisions use the low streets and the doors N, and underground ways carry off the waste of privies and stables.
On this page
Palaces linked by upper galleries and lower streets
The palaces of the ideal city rise around an arcaded upper gallery and a lower street, with a covered ramp descending at the left. Houses turn their backs to one another across the low street (marked M, N, f, p, S), and porticoes on columns run along both edges.
Road width, drainage crown and underground service ways
Each street is twenty braccia wide with a half-braccio fall from its edges to the middle, where a finger-wide slot at every braccio drains rainwater into channels cut at the lower level. The high streets, forbidden to carts, are for gentlemen; carts and loads use the low streets and doors N, while underground ways empty privies, stables and other foul things.
