This book offers a comprehensive introduction to urban design, from a historical overview and basic principles to practical design concepts and strategies. It discusses the demographic, environmental, economic, and social issues that influence the decision-making and implementation processes of urban design. The Second Edition has been fully revised to include thorough coverage of sustainability issues and to integrate new case studies into the core concepts discussed.
A comprehensive, completely up-to-date guide to the latest best practices in urban design
This entirely updated new Second Edition of Urban Design for an Urban Century offers a complete and thorough introduction to urban design, covering the demographic, environmental, economic, and social issues that shape urbanism today.
The book begins with an historical survey of trends and practices in Western urban design-from the earliest organic cities to the rise and subsequent decline of industrialized cities-as a foundation and context for the state of modern practice. It then moves on to discuss emerging forces shaping urban design such as the recentralization of populations as people move back into cities from suburbs, the emergence of "smart growth" in urban environments, the growing social impacts of economic disparities, the pressure to balance individual and community needs and rights in the public realm, and similar dynamics. Additionally, the book features new discussions of decision-making processes and implementation strategies, resiliency, and expanded coverage of sustainability issues, both local and global. Finally, the book describes current theories of urbanism, including new urbanism and landscape urbanism, before finishing with a discussion of principles, strategies, and process and how these three elements shape urban design for everything from ecodistricts and retrofitted suburban downtowns to New York City's National 9/11 Memorial.
This new Second Edition integrates new case studies throughout the text exploring urban projects from Singapore to Caracas to Chicago that illuminate the opportunities and challenges in an unprecedented era of urban design.
