Circulade

[1] The neologism and the concept were proposed in 1992 by Krzysztof Pawlowski, an architect-urban planner of Polish origin specialist of the historic cities, in his work Circulades languedociennes de l'an mille.

[2] The essential element of the system called "circulade" would be the succession of rings regularly arranged around the central core in the form of ribbons of terraced houses.

Until now, the bastides of the Southwest, cities based on the rectangular pattern, were considered to be the first manifestations of urban creation in the Middle Ages.

However, for Krzysztof Pawlowski, in Languedoc the circular model would have formed two centuries before the country houses and would thus have marked the birth of European town planning.

The “circulades” met with a favorable response from mayors as they were likely to generate cultural tourism and economic spinoffs while slowing down the desertification of the countryside.