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Nolli Map: Comparative Study, Nolan Delgado

Precedents

Nolli Map, A Comparative Study: Giambattista Nolli was an Italian architect and surveyor, best known for his very detailed map of Rome, first published in 1748. The map showed the city’s layout in stark contrast: buildings are presented as solid matter, rendered in dark gray, while open spaces, such as streets, plazas, and even the interiors of major buildings, are presented as voids. As James Tice notes in his book, The Nolli Map and Urban Theory, this kind of figure-ground study “provides an immediate and intuitive understanding of the city’s urban form.”

In dense cities like Rome, buildings appear first …