After-Sprawl: Research On The Contemporary City

by Emanuel Christ, Xaveer de Geyter Architects

Increasing urban sprawl throughout Western Europe is giving rise to more and more areas characterized by a diffuse urbanization or urban network. In After Sprawl, the Brussels-based firm of Xaveer de Geyter Architects examines this phenomenon by focusing on six such London, England; Randstad, Holland; Brussels-Antwerp-Ghent, Belgium; the Ruhr area, Germany; Zurich-Basle, Switzerland; and the Veneto region, Italy. Their research distills a method for analysing the spatial hallmarks of today's city, replacing old urban strategies with new methodologies appropriate to the new questions being raised by these new types of cities. With a modest batch of projects to their name, Xaveer de Geyter Architects have amassed an international reputation for unpretentious architecture and urban design born of a discerning and radical strategy. De Geyter himself is noted for his longterm practice with OMA, the office of Rem Koolhaas.

240 pages, Paperback

First published July 2, 2002

Reviews

[Sandro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I find the first half of the book very insightful, the second half of it (the project part), in my opinion, is not very well explained.