Urban Design

Urban design is an approach to the design of buildings and the spaces between them that focuses on specific design processes and outcomes. In addition to designing and shaping the physical features of towns, cities, and regional spaces, urban design considers 'bigger picture' issues of economic, social and environmental value and social design. The scope of a project can range from a local street or public space to an entire city and surrounding areas. Urban designers connect the fields of architecture, landscape architecture and urban planning to better organize physical space and community e ...more

The Death and Life of Great American Cities
Happy City: Transforming Our Lives Through Urban Design
Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time
The Image of the City
A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction (Center for Environmental Structure Series)
Cities for People
Soft City: Building Density for Everyday Life
The High Cost of Free Parking
Strong Towns: A Bottom-Up Revolution to Rebuild American Prosperity
The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces
Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream
Streetfight: Handbook for an Urban Revolution
The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America
The Geography of Nowhere: The Rise and Decline of America's Man-Made Landscape
Walkable City Rules: 101 Steps to Making Better Places
Never Go With Your Gut by Gleb TsipurskyDoor to Door by Edward HumesHappy City by Charles MontgomeryStart-Up City by Gabe KleinSmart Citizens, Smarter State by Beth Simone Noveck
CitizenLab's Book Selection
17 books — 9 voters

Building and Dwelling by Richard SennettLa Grande Arche by Laurence CosséBuilding Atlanta by Herman J. RussellConcrete Vaulted Construction in Imperial Rome-FTPB for Pre-S... by Lynne LancasterGenius of Common Sense by Glenna Lang
Best Books about Building Cities
39 books — 2 voters
Dark Age Ahead by Jane JacobsThe Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane JacobsVital Little Plans by Jane Jacobs101 Things I Learned in Urban Design School by Matthew FrederickWrestling with Moses by Anthony Flint
Jane Jacobs
17 books — 4 voters


Tom  Turner
Abstractionism exacerbated the problem but sustainability, if intelligently conceived, could heal the rift between garden, landscape and urban design. Absolute sustainability is not possible. But relative sustainability is a practical and desirable proposition.
Tom Turner, British Gardens: History, philosophy and design

True enough, we need an environment which is not simply well organized, but poetic and symbolic as well... By appearing as a remarkable and well-knit place, the city could provide a ground for the clustering and organization of these meanings and associations. Such a sense of place in itself enhances every human activity that occurs there, and encourages the deposit of a memory trace.
Kevin Lynch, The image of the city

More quotes...
ThreadATL Books Books about urbanism (urban design, housing affordability, streets) with an Atlanta focus. Compi…more
25 members, last active one year ago
The Global Grid Reads Reading group of The Global Grid. Here we will share the books we review on The Global Grid, the…more
38 members, last active 7 years ago