Amazon.com

If the great cities of the world (and a few of the smaller ones) were tocome together to conceive a vast international PR campaign that promoted the21st-century renaissance of the urban center, they could have no more dazzling aview book than this broadly and intelligently conceived compendium of majorrecent or in-progress projects in 25 different metropolises, from New York,Dallas, and Seattle to London, Paris, Rotterdam, and Bilbao to Kobe, Ho Chi MinhCity, and Kuala Lumpur. Rest assured that, somewhere, Jane Jacobs is smiling onCity Transformed, which takes as its unifying theme the notion that thepostwar urban-planning movement--which destroyed so many lovely, old, walkablecity neighborhoods in the interest of brutishly scaled public works orastoundingly ugly "affordable" high-rise housing--has been replaced with theembrace of density, pluralism, mixed-use design, and historic preservation asthe chief assets of the reviving, dweller-friendly city--a reclamation of itssoul, as it were.

To those ends, the book is divided into four sections: the "healing" of citiesthat have been scarred by war, poverty or natural disaster (Dallas's VictoryDistrict; Berlin's Potsdamer Platz; and the Temple Bar district of newlyaffluent Dublin, often called its "Marais"); attempts to create new economic andresidential life in neglected areas (London's much-chronicled Canary Wharf; andmaster plans for Ho Chi Minh City's "Saigon South" and for the "new town" ofAlmere, near Amsterdam); new or extended modes of urban transit (Bilbao's roomyand terrific-looking new metro system, just one of the boomlet of projects thataccompanied Frank Gehry's already-legendary Bilbao Guggenheim Museum); and theintroduction or revival of various cultural centers (thereconstruction-modernization of London's much-loved Royal Opera House in CoventGarden; and Dominique Perrault's Bibliothèque nationale de France, one ofthe grands projets to be initiated under the Mitterrand regime, and thecenterpiece of a wave of recent development to bring life to Paris's shunnedRive Gauche).

Unfortunately, many of the projects that are featured here, so smartly explainedby architectural critic and journalist Kenneth Powell (who has writtenmonographs on the work of Norman Foster and Richard Rogers), are incomplete, andeven the more impressive digitally produced plans (for, say, Tadao Ando's HyogoPrefectural Museum of Modern Art in Kobe) can't capture the color-photographedexcitement and drama of such fully executed projects as Van Berkel & Bos'sErasmus Bridge or Bolles-Wilson's Luxor Cinema, which are two of the funkier structures toemerge amidst the recent renewal of Rotterdam's Kop van Zuid district (or--wemight as well say it one more time--of Gehry's new Bilbao Guggenheim, whichdefies spatial logic and seems more like a fantastic hallucination the longerone looks at it). And, although Powell purports that the overarching goal ofsuch pricey new projects is to reclaim the city for "ordinary" people (i.e.,those who are at the "street level"), many of the projects that are featuredhere are funded by our current transglobal corporate affluence, and it remainsto be seen how many of them become true lodestones for the genuine revival ofneighborhoods, instead of isolated shows of architectural bravura.

Having said that, City Transformedmade me want to pack a light bag, hop anairplane, and complete a short world tour to see these bold new expressions ofurban creativity and interaction up close and personal. If an architecturalpicture book can make one want to do that, as far as I'm concerned, it's done itsjob several times over. --Timothy Murphy ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Apparently, you can never have too much concrete
This book documents 25 urban megaprojects, of which 18 are in Europe, 3 in the US, and 4 in Asia. Most page space is given to beautiful color photos and color diagrams, accompanied by text that is unabashedly fawning. Only a few of these projects are designed to be compatible with the surrounding architectural context (Dublin and Lisbon). Others among these projects will probably become important assets to their cities. (I would put Canary Wharf, Battery Park City, and the transportation facilities in this category.) However, what is shocking is how downright ugly most of these projects are, and one wonders if, fifty years hence, they will be regarded as monstrous tumors on the urban fabric. I cringe at such projects as Albeda College (Rotterdam), the Station Quarter (Frankfurt), and some of the buildings of Potsdamer Platz (Berlin). Is there an uglier building on the planet than Gehry's Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain? Apparently, we have learned nothing from such urban planning fiascos as London's Barbican or Detroit's Renaissance Center. ... Read more

Book Description

Filled with advice, tips, strategies, and problem-solving techniques from some of the leading figures in golf architecture, Routing the Golf Course provides unique insight into the most essential phase of designing a golf course. Coverage includes material on all aspects of planning a golf course such as site evaluation; environmental conditions; programming; and financial, psychological, and strategic game considerations. This nuts-and-bolts information is balanced with anecdotal, real-life experiences from guest essayists such as land planner Gil Martinez, environmental psychologist Dr. Edward Sadalla, and golf course architect Arthur Jack Snyder. Also featured is an interview with longtime professional golfer and broadcaster Peter Oosterhuis, who also provides the foreword.

This book is divided into four key parts. "The Opening" begins with a brief history of routing, including the influence of St. Andrews, and continues with insightful examinations of the components that make up different courses. "Making the Turn" contains chapters on essential routing information such as the "rules" of routing, safety considerations, and methods for fitting holes together. "The Heart of the Course" explores the hands-on process of creating routing plans and is enhanced with words of wisdom from renowned golf course architects Pete Dye, Jay Morrish, Dr. Michael Hurdzon, and many others. In the final section, "The Finish," coverage includes the use of GIS in routing, presenting routing plans, and design changes that may lie ahead for golf courses. A unique look at the Cypress Point Club rounds out the reading. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A thinking mans golf book
What a terrific book: I am a golf nut who just happens to live in Australia, and although I have never designed a course other than doodles, I have certainly pondered the nuance of the layout of some of the games great courses that I have had the honor to play: Cypress Point (the final chapter is all about this one gem) and Pebble Beach, The Old Course at St Andrews are all thoughtfully explored. I particularly liked the "templates" and I feel I have a much better understanding of the science of course design. Its a good read, and very thoughtfully done. I want to build a three hole "amen corner-of-the-world" course in my backyard now.

I would highly recommend it to anyone, but if you are actually having a course built, its a must read! And buy one for your course architect as well!

Need to Know, but Engaging Too
This book is at once engaging and informative. It's packed with practical advice and step-by-step instructions for planning a course - something that I haven't found in this kind of detail in any other book. And amidst the practical information are terrific stories about bad routings (a civil engineer who designed a dog-leg 180 yard par 3!), stories about how a routing preserved an archaeological treasure (The Moundbuilders Country Club), and stories about the author's own successes and failures. Interviews with Bob Graves, Dr. Michael Hurdzan, Pete Dye and a host of other golf course architects shed light on their routing experiences and highlight just how critical the routing phase is to the success of a course. Really well done. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Like a favorite shopping emporium, The Harvard Design School Guide to Shopping is a browser's paradise. This second installment of the Project on the City aims to investigate "a general urban condition undergoing virulent change." A big brick of a book with hundreds of photos and a bundle of essays by prominent designers, architects, and urban scholars, it traces the evolution of the marketplace and the environments we create for the purpose of getting and spending. From the great covered arcades of the 19th century to the museum displays of grand department stores to air-conditioned suburban malls, the book examines the ecology and life cycles of retail space the world over. Dip into the book anywhere for insights into acquisitive behavior. Newspaper clippings cite retail trends; a bar chart compares retail square footage by country (the U.S. tops them all). Some of the essays are already marked in yellow highlighter so you can scan for the main points. A 2,000-year timeline tracks major developments with theme concepts: Disney Space, Three-Ring Circus, Brand Zones, Shopping Landscapes. The book makes a wonderful reference for urban planners, but it's equally accessible to those who just want to shop 'til they drop. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

The Retail Experience in 800 pages
If you work in retail management or are just curious (like me) about why and where folk shop, invest in this 800-page visual extravaganza. The key to survival with "Shopping" is page 27, where the contents are, and I suggest you turn over the page corner so you can find it easily. The rest of the book is text mixed up with a kaleidoscope of color photos, charts, maps, text panels, black pages, and color photos with white copy, etc, etc. The pace never slows down! Actually, it is not as bad as that because each of the 45 chapters starts on a spread and the right-hand page is always bright yellow with black type.

Naturally, the text covers all the big subjects, like Victor Gruen versus Jon Jerde (these are the guys you can blame/praise for all those malls) and everything else to do with shopping past, present, and into the future. I found very intriquing a chapter called Replascape, about companies that make artificial trees and shrubs for your local mall--and to keep up the pretense, in some locations, they are watered regularly. A large part of the book focuses on the U.S., but the rest of the developed world is not ignored. Shop till you drop in Europe, Japan, South America, Asia....

I would have liked an index in a book this size, but I still think the publishers should be proud that they have produced such an amazing book at a very affordable price.

Will that be cash or charge?

Latest Design Accessory for the Bubble Economy
For a volume that purports to be scholarly research from Harvard University, it incorporates preciously little hard facts or empirical data from the commercial retail industry, aside from the colorful graphics, it represents, at best, an amateurish take on a global economy in the form of bumper stickers rather than any form of serious analysis.

Mr. Koolhaas' customary "Firehose" approach to editing - massive amount of unedited images and unaccredited charts and information featuring slogans sufficiently amorphous as to allow readers to draw whatever conclusion they want. Harvard GSD (Graduate School of Design) students would tell you that the whole book is a somewhat cynical exercise for Mr. Koolhaas to use his academic assistants to produce "research" that attempted to justify intellectually what he was designing for the Prada stores in NY, LA, etc. (a "cash cow" for Koolhaas' architectural firm according to his chief assistant) But since Koolhaas is an established and bankable star, none of the participants are complaining. In the end, most of the essays managed to emphasize an approach to architecture that happened to coincide with projects by Mr. Koolhaas.

For example, while the essay "Depato" give a reasonably detail account of the development of Japanese department stores in the Shibuya district of Tokyo, but then it focused on design features such as the "Bunkamura" or cultural village, art galleries and roof gardens that some stores had added in order to attract customers to shore up declining business. (Koolhaas advocated adding lecture hall in Prada stores but was vetoed for taking up too much valuable retail space). The essay never examined, let alone proposed solutions to, the real cause behind the decline of department store sales - the rise of discount shopping during the decade-long economic recession).

"Captive-Airmall" amiably speculates on the pros and cons of spaces designed for efficiency and what it meant to operate in an highly impersonal environment. However, it failed to mention the real reason that gave rise to such environment - airline de-regulation that began in the United States which eventually turned airports into corporations responsible for generating their own revenues and thus jump-started the airport retail business.

Much like a fashion product by Prada, this book is very useful if you want to brag about how intellectually curious and, at the same time, up-to-the-minute-Wallpaper-hip you are at home or the office - it's the latest design accessory for the 1990s bubble economy. It is disappointing to see that even a respectable institution such as Harvard has succumbed to the forces of the marketplace.

The language of retail
I'll start with the bad first: this book is too long, the essays are of uneven quality, and the layout is poor (if you are trying to read it, that is, and not just look at it). That being said, I think the overall product is excellent. This authors do not seek to answer questions but, instead, to raise them. Why is retail facing a crisis? How will advances in IT affect retail? What is changing about how we buy, what we buy, and why we buy?

The authors' premise is that shopping is a living entity, one with survival on its mind. Retail, they claim, has evolved as other beings have evolved: Some advances are foreseen while others come through chance, but all advances are in response to external forces. In the case of retail, the dominant relationship is between the shop and the shopper. As the shopper changes, so must the shop evolve, write the authors.

That this work is not a completed whole, but rather a piece where some assembly is required by the reader, is important in making this book work. The authors do not and cannot answer all their questions. The idea of "ulterior motives" - which teases at the implications of increased use of IT in retail and urban planning - is, to me, the central issue. The authors note the shift from "how does spacial design affect people" to "how does information design affect people". They note the importance of this shift for the future of shopping and present a history of retail as the vocabulary for which readers can begin to discuss these questions.

Because the authors have taken on the task of teaching the language of retail, readers may feel as if they are back in grade school English class - slogging through page after page of seemingly useless information that is not neccessarily connected to the next bit of information. However, if you spend some time playing with this information - looking at each bit of knowledge as building blocks that can be moved about and repositioned next to other bits of knowledge to uncover new and different patterns - this book comes alive.

A virtual shopping spree
Having leafed through this book and "Great Leap Forward," I find myself bemused as to what all the fuss is about. Koolhaas is apparently oh so cool! according to a recent Newsweek. There is little that is new here unless one considers placing an escalator inside Le Corbusier's Dom-ino skeleton novel. It seems that Koolhaas and his chums have once again had great fun cutting and pasting from the past and present, to create a virtual tour through their cluttered minds of consumerist fantasies.

excessive as ussual
It arrived just when i was needing it. Malls, shopping, consumerism, no-spaces, junk-spaces, the artificial-scape...finnaly Venturi&Brown met Koolhaas..(as i already suggested) but, despite all these, i still find it hard to pay such a thrilling money just because they didn't take the work of selecting the material. It seems to me lately that information grows endlessly and nobody is paying care to the "old customed" thing of selecting, choosing what's really important. IF THE BOOK WERE HALF ITS SIZE IT WOULD BE WORTH. As it is not, i must blame the authors for their happy "cut and paste and get the money" editorial strategy. I'm sad to say that i had to read it all and swallow even the most unmature essays to get to this conclusion. I suggest a combined reading of it with "No Logo" to get to an ecstasyc state of annoyment and claustrophobia. ... Read more

Book Description

The first comprehensive monograph on Jo Coenen. Dutch architect Jo Coenen is not only an architect, but also a city planner, university lecturer, artist, and, until very recently, the Dutch Government Architect. In this role he was responsible for highly important planning projects and was advisor to the government. In his architectural work, he made a name for himself with the construction of the renowned Netherlands Architecture Institute (NAI) in Rotterdam, a striking office tower in Dusseldorf's Mediahafen, and Amsterdam's city library in Oosterdok-Eiland. His urban planning projectsinclude the entire plans for the Vaillantlaan in the Hague, the former "Sphinx Céramique" grounds in Maastricht, and the master plan for the KNSM island in the eastern harbour area of Amsterdam, which attracted international attention. As Government Architect he composed a report "Designing the Netherlands", appealing for the protection of public space from the inconsiderate actions of investors and for thetransformation of fragmented living spaces into coherent urban systems. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Great book!
This a book that be should always be close to you if you work in the hotel development industry.

Comprehensive and beautiful
I found this in the Rizzoli bookstore and had to slit the shrinkwrap to see what the book was like. Then sat down in a soft chair to browse through it but after a half hour decided it made more sense to just buy it and read it at home. Not disappointed. The book covers everything in great detail - lots of text - with pictures of hotels from the Chilean Andes to London and Paris and New York. A "must have" for people interested in travel and hotels and architecture.

Absolutely terrific!!
WOW! I have a copy of the 1980s version of Rutes and Penner--this is a totally new edition, all new photography, etc.--and consider it the 'Bible' for hotel design. But the new edition is twice as big and full of current examples and information. It has 32 pages of gorgeous color photos of great hotels and resorts from around the world. The text is in three main sections: Hotel Types (downtown, resorts, conference centers, luxury hotels, casino hotels, etc.); Design Guide (planning and design information for all areas of the hotel); and Development Guide (feasibility, programming, future trends). In addition, there are lots of appendices and sidebars from such people as Ian Schrager, I.M. Pei, Robert Stern, and John Portman. I've looked at other hotel design books in the stores and there isn't anything that is so complete or current. There are other books on boutique hotels, with lots of pictures, but nothing with this global coverage of all types of lodging properties. With well over 400 pages, this book will be the new Bible for hotel design. I can't imagine a better choice for anyone involved with the hotel development, architecture, or interior design. ... Read more

Book Description

The star of this book is the ordinary American tract house--the ranch, rambler, split-level, or ranchette. Call it what you like, but it's still the same old cookie-cutter structure found in suburbs everywhere. Blueprint Remodel looks at ten standard tract houses, with basic run-of-the-mill floor plans, boxy rooms, low ceilings, poor lighting, and bland materials, and shows how they can be transformed into well-designed, distinctive homes with character and charm.

From a one-floor interior makeover in Omaha to a full renovation of a Texas bungalow, these examples encompass a variety of challenges and solutions, and they include everything from sleek modern design to an Arts & Crafts-influenced remodel.

Featured in a wide range of cost, style, size, and location, and illustrated with phenomenal before-and-after photographs, these profiles will empower tract house owners to go from mediocre to marvelous. Kodis proves that even the most lifeless tract house can be magnificently transformed.

Michelle Kodis is the author of Blueprint Small: Creative Ways to Live With Less and Blueprint Affordable: How to Build a Beautiful House Without Breaking the Bank. Since receiving her master of science degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 1991, she has written about a broad range of topics, including architecture and design, science, the environment, health and medicine, business, and cuisine. She lives with her husband near Telluride, Colorado, and is currently at work on additional architecture/design books for Gibbs Smith, Publisher. ... Read more

Book Description

Sustainability may seem like one more buzzword and cities and towns like the last places to change, but The Natural Step for Communities provides inspiring examples of communities that have made dramatic changes toward sustainability and explains how others can emulate their success.

Chronicled in the book are towns like Övertorneå, whose government operations recently became 100 percent fossil fuel-free, demonstrating that unsustainable municipal practices really can be overhauled. Arguing that the process of introducing change-whether converting to renewable energy or designing compact development-is critical to success, the authors outline why well-intentioned proposals often fail to win community approval and why an integrated approach-not "single-issue" initiatives-can surmount challenges of conflicting priorities, scarce resources and turf battles.

The book first clarifies the concept of sustainability, offering guiding principles-the Natural Step framework-that help identify sustainable action in any area. It then introduces the 60+ eco-municipalities of Sweden that have adopted changes to sustainable practices throughout municipal policies and operations. The third section explains how they did it and outlines how other communities in North America and elsewhere can do the same. Key to success is a democratic, "bottom-up" change process and clear guiding sustainability principles, such as the Natural Step framework.

The book will appeal to both general readers wishing to understand better what sustainability means and practitioners interested in introducing or expanding sustainable development in their communities.

Sarah James is the principal of a community planning consulting firm. She co-authored the American Planning Association's Planning for Sustainability Policy Guide and has published articles throughout the U.S. on this subject.

Torbjörn Lahti was the planner for Sweden's first eco-municipality and is directing a five-year sustainable community demonstration project. He was instrumental in forming the Swedish National Association of Eco-municipalities.

Reviews (1)

There is nothing like it.
Wow! Check it out - philosophy without pretenses, live without limits.Powerful, and will be thought of and used to guide our perceptions long from now. ... Read more

Book Description

This clearly written, fully illustrated survey of Western architecture defines and explains structure, function, history, and meaning. Architecture is examined as a cultural phenomenon as well as an artistic and technological achievement. The book is divided into two parts: Part One, "The Elements of Architecture," deals with the basic properties of architecture in chapters that explain function, structural principles, and elements of design, including examples in the text and illustrations from all periods and styles. Part Two, "The History and Meaning of Architecture," is a chronological survey of Western architectural development from prehistoric times to the present. The approach is selective in terms of buildings and architects included; the examples are chosen for their importance and significance and are fully explained. Each chronological chapter begins with a concise, historical outline giving the social and cultural background. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Clear cut and Simple
Understanding Architecture is a great book. I found it to be useful to start down the road of being an Architect. This book gives you a clear understanding of the value of architecture in the world. If you have any interest at all in architecture or the built environment you will love this book. I have recommended it to numerous friends.

Understanding Architecture and Urbanism
This is a very well written approach to the understanding of Architecture and Urbanism. In the first half of the book, Roth analyzes the basic concepts or "elements" that conform today's Architecture. The second half of this clear and readable text is dedicated to the investigation of the history and significance of Architecture. These enjoyable and didactic thirteen chapters are an excellent starting point for a journey into past and present Architecture ... Read more

Reviews (3)

terrific source book for urban designers
This is such an interesting book. Boulevards have been neglected for several generations because they somehow didn't fit into the vocabulary used by traffic engineers. But thanks to Allan and Elizabeth, we know that they are extremely efficient ways of carrying traffic and creating safe pewdestrian environments and that they creat beautiful cities. Look at Paris, Barcelona, Melbourne and even Chico!
Really nice drawings. The book is a delight top behold.

A Nice Companion to Great Streets
This book belongs in the library of people who enjoyed GREAT STREETS by Allan Jacobs, et al, or anyone who designs modern streets. The authors have researched boulevards extensively, including their safety and utility.

If you are interested in the topic, a video is available about the authors' research from the Institute of Urban and Regional Development of the University of California at Berkeley -- 510-642-5233. It believe it is called, "Boulevards: Great Streets for Great Cities."

Good Book - but some criticism
This is simply an interesting book. I love the descriptions and the drawings. I understand the author's enthusiasm for great streets and boulevards. Much of what makes these great is the atmosphere (shops, restaurants, pedestrians, bustling activity). I agree. However, this book as well as many other publications out there regarding streets, traffic calming, automobile dependance,etc all seem to forget that streets are primarily for cars. The author is worried about the survival of one of the Spanish boulevards due to its emphasis on carrying traffic.

Don't misunderstand me here. I'm all for traffic calming, neghborhood traffic management, cozy streets with many pedestrians, sidewalk cafes, and reducing the dependance on automobiles. As a traffic engineer, I need to consider what the streets are built for. The priority for some roadways is to move traffic, while others should accommodate vehicles, pedestrians, bicycles, and a great atmosphere while maintaining safety. I feel many books, such as this one, expose us to great examples and ideas, but unfairly use traffic engineers as scapegoats for urban sprawl and the destruction of our urban landscape. Believe it or not, but some traffic engineers consider qualitative design aspects besides quantitative design aspects.

I like the book, but I'm getting frustrated by architects, planners, and others criticizing transportation without much understanding or technical background. I'm sure most architects don't appreciate the laymen criticizing their works. ... Read more

Book Description

Design options and planning procedures must be critically examined to ensure that landscapes are created with sensitivity to water quality and management issues as well as overall ecological integrity. Handbook of Water Sensitive Planning and Design presents the history of water as a design and planning element in landscape architecture and describes new interpretations of water management. This text pushes the frontiers of standard water management in new directions, challenging readers into abandoning the comfortable safety of conducting business-as-usual within narrow disciplinary confines, and instead directing views outward to the exciting and incompletely mapped regions of true interdisciplinary water sensitive planning and design. With contributions from renowned practitioners, Part I provides seventeen chapters addressing the subject of site-specific water sensitive design and Part II presents another seventeen chapters focusing on issues relating to the water sensitive planning of riparian buffers and watersheds. In addition, Professor France has provided a "Response" to accompany each chapter, which succinctly underscores the salient features in more detail and emphasizes cross-linking to other chapters in the book. The "Overview" provides a brief road-map to navigate through the section. Finally, the discussion summaries at the end of each section elaborate on past problems, current challenges, and future directions. Handbook of Water Sensitive Planning and Design puts forward the very best of modern water sensitive planning and design and should be required reading for everyone involved in this dynamic and crucial field. ... Read more

Book Description

A visual lexicon of the colorful slang, from alligator investment to zoomburb, that defines sprawl in America.

Duck, ruburb, tower farm, big box, and pig-in-a-python are among the dozens of zany terms invented by real estate developers and designers today to characterize land-use practices and the physical elements of sprawl. Sprawl in the environment, based on the metaphor of a person spread out, is hard to define. This concise book engages its meaning, explains common building patterns, and illustrates the visual culture of sprawl. Seventy-five stunning color aerial photographs, each paired with a definition, convey the impact of excessive development and provide the verbal and visual vocabulary needed by professionals, public officials, and citizens to critique uncontrolled growth in the American landscape. 75 color photographs. ... Read more

Book Description

Communities across the country are working to convert unused railway and canal corridors into trails for pedestrians, cyclists, horseback riders, and others, serving the needs of both recreationists and commuters alike. These multi-use trails can play a key role in improving livability, as they offer an innovative means of addressing sprawl, revitalizing urban areas, and reusing degraded lands.

Trails for the Twenty-first Century is a step-by-step guide to all aspects of the planning, design, and management of multi-use trails. Originally published in 1993, this completely revised and updated edition offers a wealth of new information including.

• discussions of recent regulations and federal programs, including ADA and TEA-21
• recently revised design standards from AASHTO
• current research on topics ranging from trail surfacing to conflict resolution
• information about designing and building trails in brownfields and other
• environmentally troubled landscapes

Also included is a new introduction that describes the importance of rail-trails to the sustainable communities movement, and an expanded discussion of maintenance costs. Enhanced with a wealth of illustrations, Trails for the Twenty-first Century provides detailed guidance on topics such as: taking a physical inventory and assessment of a site; involving the public and meeting the needs of adjacent landowners; understanding and complying with existing legislation; designing, managing, and promoting a trail; and where to go for more information. It is the only comprehensive guidebook available for planners, landscape architects, local officials, and community activists interested in creating a multi-use trail. ... Read more

Book Description

The Situationists, who first appeared on the architectural scene in the 1960s, regarded cities as the ultimate opportunity for creative self-expression. While there are many publications about the history of the Situationist International, New Babylonians offers unique coverage of how their tactics are currently employed in architectural and urban strategies. It features renowned architects and educators who were first generation Situationists and also highlights some of the most exciting international practitioners involved in urban design today.

• Contains contributions from an impressive roster of academics, designers, writers, and art practitioners
• Offers timely and lively insights about contemporary urban architecture and art

Book Description

Learning from Las Vegas created a healthy controversy on its appearance in 1972, calling for architects to be more receptive to the tastes and values of "common" people and less immodest in their erections of "heroic," self-aggrandizing monuments.

This revision includes the full texts of Part I of the original, on the Las Vegas strip, and Part II, "Ugly and Ordinary Architecture, or the Decorated Shed," a generalization from the findings of the first part on symbolism in architecture and the iconography of urban sprawl. (The final part of the first edition, on the architectural work of the firm Venturi and Rauch, is not included in the revision.) The new paperback edition has a smaller format, fewer pictures, and a considerably lower price than the original. There are an added preface by Scott Brown and a bibliography of writings by the members of Venturi and Rauch and about the firm's work. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

An Architectural Nightmare
This is a quite unusual and offbeat treatise on architectural theory, as applied to the world's greatest architectural monstrosity - Las Vegas. This analysis from the early 1970s is obviously outdated because Las Vegas hadn't yet become the monument to megalomania and excess that it is today, but it was already well on its way. The authors analyze Vegas' unique usages of space, lighting, placement, transportation, and building design for the purposes of communication and promotion. Strange chapter titles give a clue to the left-field analysis in store, and the authors have a clear sense of irony, underhandedly implying that Vegas presents the worst in architecture while they appear to be praising its uniqueness. Unfortunately the narrative gets bogged down in dense professor-speak terminology like "Brazilianoid" and "neo-Constructivist megastructures," along with a general overload of obtuse theory. Add to that the poor-quality and under-elaborated illustrations and you have a book that sacrifices insight and readability in favor of pedantic attempts to impress the authors' colleagues. [~doomsdayer520~]

Read this book to learn what you shouldn't do as an architec
Read this book to learn what you shouldn't do as an architect!

This book follows Venturi's "Complexity and Contradiction", where you can learn how cynically to use casement windows in housing for the elderly where the elderly will happily put their plastic flowers in the windows, but *you* secretly know these are not really hormal casement windows, since they are out of scale (like fascist architecture's lack of scale?).

This book will tell you about ducks and decorated sheds, but it will tell you nothing about building spaces which nourish creative human community. Try Louis Kahn (e.g., John Lobell's lovely little book "Between Silence and Light"). My postmodernist teachers at Harvard said Kahn's writings were incomprehensible, which says more about them than about him.

Read Lobell's book and learn why, e.g., a city might deserve to exist. Remember: Only *you* can get beyond postmodernism!

Brilliant study of signage and architecture
Robert Venturi's study of the Las Vegas signage phenomena and it's impact on "architecture" is brilliant in it's scope. While written almost twenty five years ago, this book gains more and more pertinence as we as a society progress further into a "reality" of symbols, reproductions and representations. These words and thoughts are basically essential to the understanding of any city anymore, not just Las Vegas. Where this book misses the mark though is in the execution, as shown in Venturi's work, of these ideas. The projects put forth seem to pale in comparison to the implications the text actually has. These notions of architecture are by far some of the most relevant and important in modern theory today, it is unfortunate that their full potential could not be realized in these projects.... but maybe that is for you and I to do.

A classic in architecture theory
The title "father of Post Modernism" has been appropriately assigned to Robert Venturi....and it began with this book: Learning from Las Vegas. Written at a time when minimalism in art, and "form follows function" in architecture were the dominant ideas, Venturi et al threw down the gauntlet in challenging the practicing and accademic establishment with such sacriligious slogans as "Less is a bore" (challenging the modernist notion "Less is more")

Venturi should open the eyes of readers who self rightiously condemn today's highway commercial architecture and signage. Venturi challenges us to look at this urbanscape with fresh eyes...to see and understand the order (both functional and visual) in what we have been conditioned to condemn.

The book is well illustrated and gives examples of "the duck" and the "decorated shed" as metaphorical strategies to attract attention to highway commericial buildings.Anyone interested in architecture history and contemporary planning issues should read this book. It may piss you off, but it might also open your eyes to new ways of seeing.

In 1999 it would be interesting to compare Las Vegas to Pleasantville...and to learn in the process about change and the American culture that seems to embrace an ever changing urban landscape. Just as in the mythical Pleasantville in the movie of same name, Venturi upsets the status quo and gets us to see the colors (though sometimes messy and glaring) of the REAL city. ... Read more

Book Description

This important approach to signs provides a completely illustrated behind-the-scenes process of over thirty interesting assignments. Included are projects in the areas of Wayfinding, Placemaking and Interpretive Design. Each project is shown from sketch concept to final installation and includes a detailed design analysis.

Book Description

In this new collection, Israelim Palestinian, and American architects and urbanists consider the physical future of Jerusalem and offer specific propposals for making the city functional, beautiful, and physically generous to its inhabitants' needs. The essays focus on issues of ecology, preservation, neighborhood development, and open space, rather than on politics per se. While the authors take a variety of approaches, all agree on the necessity of sharing the city amicably. Contributors include Lebbeus Woods, M. Christine Boyer, Samira Haj, Achva Stein, Moshe Safdie, Thom Mayne, Mack Scogin, and Jafar Tukan. ... Read more

Book Description

The processes of nature can make an infinite number of human faces, each one unique, each one beautiful. The same is true for daffodils, streams, and stars. But man-made creations-especially the towns and buildings of the 20th century-have only occasionally been really good, more often mediocre, and in the last 50 years have very often been deadly. What is the reason for the difference?

In Book 2, Alexander explains in detail the kinds of process that are capable of generating living structure. The unfolding of living structure in natural systems is compared to the unfolding of buildings and town plans in traditional society, and then contrasted with present-day building processes.

The comparison reveals deep and shocking problems which pervade the present day planning and construction of buildings. Pervasive changes are needed to create a world in which living process-and hence living structure-are possible; these are changes which are ultimately attainable only through a transformation of society.

It is the use of sequences which makes it possible for each building to become unique, exactly fitted to its context, and harmonious. And it is also this use of sequences which makes it possible for people to participate effectively in the layout of their own buildings and communities.

"This will change the world as effectively as the advent of printing changed the world . . ."-Doug Carlston, Silicon Valley luminary and former president of Broderbund

Christopher Alexander is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, architect, builder, and author of many books and technical papers. He is the winner of the first medal for research ever awarded by the American Institute of Architects.

Reviews (1)

A Landmark Book
Review by Nikos A. Salingaros.

PART A. REVIEW FOR ARCHITECTS.

Contemporary architecture is increasingly grounded in science and mathematics. Architectural discourse has shifted radically from the sometimes disorienting Derridean deconstruction, to engaging scientific terms such as fractals, chaos, complexity, nonlinearity, and evolving systems. That's where the architectural action is -- at least for cutting-edge architects and thinkers -- and every practicing architect and student needs to become conversant with these terms and know what they mean. Unfortunately, the vast majority of architecture faculty are unprepared to explain them to students, not having had a scientific education themselves.

Here is an architecture book by an architect/scientist, just in time to help architects in the new millennium. Alexander discusses many of the scientific terms arising in cutting-edge architecture, and explains them to those who don't have scientific training or advanced mathematical knowledge. We find discussions of the evolution of forms; the importance of process in design; iteration; genetic algorithms; sequences of transformations; different levels of scale (i.e. fractals); etc. They are explained here by an architect who is also a scientist, because he wants to change the way architects think and build. Alexander is not merely popularizing other scientists' results and making them accessible to architects: he is in fact presenting new and original scientific work that ties many of these concepts together in a way that will be useful to architects.

Alexander spends many of the 636 pages of this book talking about PROCESS. He describes the sequence of steps leading to a built form, and how each step depends on all previous steps. Alexander distinguishes between good and bad sequences of steps, where the latter are marked by some disruptive discontinuity, and which, as a result, cannot lead to coherent form. It follows that the method of design taught in architecture schools for decades -- "conceive an interesting image in your mind, then impose it onto the environment" -- is wrong. ALEXANDER ARGUES THAT COHERENCE CAN NEVER BE ACHIEVED EXCEPT BY THE SEQUENCE METHOD. Don't forget this is the Alexander who wrote "A Pattern Language", an equally revolutionary book. Therefore, every architect, especially those whose own design methodology clashes with Alexander's ideas, is well advised to become aware of what he says instead of simply dismissing him offhand.

The present volume is the second of four. I believe that, with some effort, it can be read independently from the first volume (not that I am suggesting this, but merely to encourage people to plunge into Volume 2 immediately). This is the one of the four volumes that is most likely to appeal to those who are already interested in and actively working in applying the New Sciences to architecture. I therefore urge innovative architects and architecture students to read this book. In my opinion, it should enlighten everyone's conception of the design process, and help to initiate a reexamination in one's mind of how new ideas for structures and buildings are generated. This book might well influence in a major way how buildings of the future are designed and built, hence how they will look. No-one who thinks deeply and conscientiously about design today should pass it by.

PART B. REVIEW FOR SCIENTISTS.

Alexander is famous in the architectural world, yet he trained in Physics and Mathematics in Cambridge, and was part of the group of scientists who developed systems theory along with Herbert Simon. He has been investigating the interaction between science and architecture all of his life, and the four-volume work "The Nature of Order" contains the results of his researches. Volume 2, in particular, contains the most science. It may surprise many professional scientists that Alexander has managed to conceive of new results by applying architecture to science, surely a development that is as unexpected as it is novel.

This book contains interesting scientific insights. For example, already by page 42, Alexander proposes a radical rethinking of the standard Neo-Darwinian synthesis. He suggests that, based on a broad range of examples, evolving form in any context is driven just as much by intrinsic long-range forces having to do with geometrical configurations, as by the usual random Darwinian selection process. He thus takes suggestions by Stuart Kauffman and Brian Goodwin and develops them into a proto-theory of morphogenesis. It is not complete, and Alexander knows that, but I believe that the evolutionary biology community will get very excited about this idea. He supports his arguments by using phenomenology, and providing a theoretical basis wherever he can. I believe we are going to see a lot of activity, as ideas from this book inspire other authors to try to prove or disprove them. All of that is healthy, and will eventually establish Alexander as a contributor to scientific thinking.

My own favorite part is the discussion of how generative sequences break symmetry: instead of producing identical components (i.e., windows, houses, office blocks, apartments), the same generative process gives rise to similar types of complex objects that are individualized and thus distinct. This helps us to understand natural complexity, where adaptation does indeed produce diversity within the same typology. The underlying problem is how to correlate the different scales in a complex system, hitherto unsolved in any discipline. Therefore, this discussion is of great interest to computer scientists, who are grappling with modularization in software so as to handle the increasing complexity of code.

I am a scientist, and I have profited from Alexander's efforts to understand very deep problems in complexity. The price to pay is having to read through all the architectural examples (which may or may not be of interest to many scientists). Alexander is like a moth circling around fascinating problems. Even when he does not give a solution, his circling in fact identifies the problem, and by approaching it, he gives nontrivial hints towards its eventual solution. And, don't forget that it's the architectural stuff that's going to inspire architects to build a more beautiful world for the rest of us. ... Read more