The Urban Design Reader
The Urban Design Reader brings together some of the most influential writing on the historical development and contemporary practice of urban design. Emerging as a distinct field of environmental design practice in the late 1950s, urban design bridges the fields of architecture, planning, landscape architecture, civil engineering, urban development, and social science - with a focus on physical form and the social use of space. Among university programs, the design professions, interest...
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Drawing together the very best of classic and contemporary writings, this informative book illuminates the theory and practice of urban design. Forty-one generous selections include contributions from Le Corbusier and Jacobs through to Hayden and Gillham.This book provides an essential resource for students and practitioners of urban design, drawing together important but widely dispersed writings. Section and selection introductions are provided to assist students in understanding where readings come from and how they fit into the larger picture of the field of urban design.
List of plates xiiiAcknowledgments xvGeneral Introduction 1Historical Precedents for the Urban Design Field 5Introduction 7"Upsurge of the Renaissance" Edmund N. Bacon 9"The Family of Eyes" and "The Mire of the Macadam" Marshall Berman 17"Public Parks and the Enlargement of Towns" Frederick Law Olmsted 28"The Meager and Unimaginative Character of Modern City Plans" and "Artistic Limitations of Modern City Planning" Camillo Sitte 35"The Garden City Idea and Modern Planning" Lewis Mumford 43"The Neighborhood Unit" Clarence Perry 54"The Pack-Donkey's Way and Man's Way" and "A Contemporary City" Le Corbusier 66Normative Theories of Good City Form 77Introduction 79"Author's Introduction" and "The Uses of Sidewalks: Contact" Jane Jacobs 80"The Timeless Way" Christopher Alexander 93"Toward an Urban Design Manifesto" Allan B. Jacobs Donald Appleyard 98"Dimensions of Performance" Kevin Lynch 109Place Theories inUrban Design 115Introduction 117"Prospects for Places" Edward Relph 119"The Phenomenon of Place" Christian Norberg-Schulz 125"The Problem of Place in America" Ray Oldenburg 138Dimensions of Place-Making 149Introduction 151"The Image of the Environment" and "The City Image and Its Elements" Kevin Lynch 153"Introduction to The Concise Townscape" Gordon Cullen 167"Principles for Regional Design" Michael Hough 174"Critical Regionalism: An Architecture of Place" Douglas S. Kelbaugh 183"Place Memory and Urban Preservation" Dolores Hayden 194"Themes of Postmodern Urbanism" Nan Ellin 204"The Generic City" Rem Koolhaas 215Typology and Morphology in Urban Design 227Introduction 229"Critiques" and "Urban Components" Leon Krier 231"The Third Typology" Anthony Vidler 251"Getting to Know the Built Landscape: Typomorphology" Anne Vernez Moudon 256Contemporary Challenges and Responses 283Introduction 285"What is Sprawl?" Oliver Gillham 287"Charter of the New Urbanism"$dCongress for the New Urbanism 308"Density in Communities, or the Most Important Factor in Building Urbanity" Eduardo Lozano 312"Compact, Decentralised or What? The Sustainable City Debate" Hildebrand Frey 328Elements of the Public Realm 345Introduction 347"Introduction," "The Life of Plazas," "Sitting Space," and "Sun, Wind, Trees, and Water" William H. Whyte 348"Three Types of Outdoor Activities" and "Life Between Buildings" Jan Gehl 364"Urban Plazas" Clare Cooper Marcus Carolyn Francis 371"Neighborhood Space" Randolph Hester 376"Conclusion: Great Streets and City Planning" Allan B. Jacobs 387"Getting Around" David Sucher 391"Green Streets" Metro Portland 405"Drawing Lessons and Debunking Myths" Robert Cervero 425Practice and Process 435Introduction 437"A Catholic Approach to Organizing What Urban Designers Should Know" Anne Vernez Moudon 438"Urban Design as a Discipline and as a Profession" Jon Lang 461"The Communication Process" Matthew Carmona Tim Heath Taner Oc Steven Tiesdell 479"The Debate on Design Review" Brenda Case Scheer 490"Design Guidelines in American Cities: Conclusions" John Punter 500Epilogue 517Illustration Credits 519Copyright Information 523Index 527
\ From the Publisher"Every practitioner of "everyday urbanism" should keep the Urban Design Reader close at hand. It renews inspiration; it offers fresh insights; it clarifies the essential principles of urban design. I see it as the foundation text for all that we do in shaping our cities. It is simply invaluable." Larry Beasley, Distinguished Practice Professor of Planning, SCARP, University of British Columbia, Canada.\ "Selecting a list of key texts in urban design from amongst the host of possibilities available will never be an easy task; but in this carefully chosen selection, Larice and Macdonald balance the foundational classics of the discipline with valuable contemporary contributions that demonstrate the continuing evolution and vitality of urban design." Matthew Carmona, Professor of Planning and Urban Design, The Bartlett Scool, University College London.\ \ \
