Savannah's Ward

The layout of Savannah is based on a typical unit which is called a ward. Each individual ward was originally organized as an urban neighborhood. The neighborhood was intended to have a diversity of uses, from light commercial to residential. A ward is typically 600’ square and is centered on a central open square. The streets that create the boundary of each ward allow traffic to move through the city uninterrupted. The internal streets of the ward are interrupted by the central square, and create a pedestrian friendly scale. Resultantly the ward is divided into 8 blocks. Two large blocks each on the north and south sides of the square, and 2 smaller blocks each on the east and west sides of the square, each of which are further divided by alleys. The large blocks are called tything blocks and were intended to house the residents of the neighborhood. The smaller blocks are called trust blocks and housed the commercial or public uses for the neighborhood.