Synopses & Reviews
Urban Design the American Experience Jon Lang Urban Design: The American Experience places social and environmental concerns within the context of American history. It returns the focus of urban design to the creation of a better world. It evaluates the efforts of designers who apply knowledge about the environment and people to the creation of livable, enjoyable, and even inspiring built worlds. Urban Design: The American Experience emphasizes that urban design must take a user-oriented approach to achieve a higher quality of life in human settlements. All the keys to this approach are spelled out in chapters that address:
- Urban design as both a product and process of communal decision-making
- Types of knowledge required as a base for urban design action
- How to apply recent environmental and behavioral research to professional design
- How human needs are fulfilled through design
- The true role of functionalism in design
Urban design efforts of the twentieth century in the United States are examined within their socio-political context. Jon Lang reviews the urban design experience from the beginning of the " City Beautiful" movement, paying particular attention to developments since World War II. He explores how the twentieth-century city has developed, as well as discusses the attitudes that have driven major movements in urban design. Readers learn a neo-Modernist approach that builds on the successes and failures of Rationalism and Empiricism, the two major streams of Modernist thought in architecture and urban design. They also gain an understanding of how the environment is experienced by people, and the implications of this experiencing forarchitectural and urban design. Numerous illustrations throughout demonstrate how various design schemes can be used. Urban Design: The American Experience provides architects, designers, city planners, and students in these fields with a model for their own future development as professionals. It is a valuable guide to design methodology (procedural theory) and other issues related to creating optimal urban environments.
Synopsis
Urban Design provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to urban design, presenting a 3 dimensional model with which to categorise the processes and products involved. It not only defines the subject, but also considers the future direction of the field and what can be learned from the past. 50 international case studies demonstrate the variety of urban design efforts that have occurred in recent history.
* Enables students and professionals to understand the meaning of urban design by presenting an analysis of case studies from the past 5 decades.
* Illustrates how urban design guidelines and processes have been used in a broad range of projects around the world.
* Helps architects and planners to define their goals and to confidently predict design outcomes.
Synopsis
Urban Design presents a range of 50 international case studies to demonstrate the variety of urban design efforts that have occurred in recent history. This book:
. Enables students and professionals to understand the meaning of urban design by presenting an analysis of case studies from the past 5 decades.
. Illustrates how urban design guidelines and processes have been used in a broad range of projects around the world.
. Helps architects and planners to define their goals and to confidently predict design outcomes.
What does the term âurban designâ really mean? It has become a confusing reference with as many different interpretations as there are architects and planners. Unless design professionals can reach a clear consensus as to the nature, purpose and methods of urban design, genuine progress and development within the field is under threat.
This book provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to urban design, presenting a 3 dimensional model with which to categorise the processes and products involved. Including a broad selection of international case studies, âUrban Designâ is an essential guide to the diversity of leading projects around the globe. It not only defines the subject, but also considers the future direction of the field and what can be learned from the past.
Jon Lang is a Professor of Architecture at the Faculty of the Built Environment, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
. Enables students and professionals to understand the meaning of urban design by presenting an analysis of case studies from the past 5 decades.
. Illustrates how urban design guidelines and processes have been used in a broad range of projects around the world.
. Helps architects and planners to define their goals and to confidently predict design outcomes.
Table of Contents
Explains what is meant by Urban Design and explores the variety of types of urban design that has taken place during the last 50 years.