The Nature of Urban Design : A New York Perspective on Resilience

Island Press would like to thank Furthermore: a program of the J. M. Kaplan Fund for generous support of the design and printing of this book. The Best Cities Become An Ingrained Part Of Their Residents’ Identities. Urban Design Is The Key To This Process, But All Too Often, Citizens Abandon It To Professionals, Unable To See A Way To Express What They Love And Value In Their Own Neighborhoods. In This Visually Rich Book, Alexandros Washburn, Chief Urban Designer Of The New York Department Of City Planning, Redefines Urban Design. His Book Empowers Urbanites And Lays The Foundations For A New Approach To Design That Will Help Cities To Prosper In An Uncertain Future. He Asks His Readers To Consider How Cities Shape Communities, For It Is The Strength Of Our Communities, He Argues, That Will Determine How We Respond To Crises Like Hurricane Sandy, Whose Floodwaters He Watched From His Home In Red Hook, Brooklyn. Washburn Draws Heavily On His Experience Within The New York City Planning System While Highlighting Forward-thinking Developments In Cities Around The World. He Grounds His Book In The Realities Of Political And Financial Challenges That Hasten Or Hinder Even The Most Beautiful Designs. By Discussing Projects Like The High Line And The Harlem Children’s Zone As Well As Examples From Seoul To Singapore, He Explores The Nuances Of The Urban Design Process While Emphasizing The Importance Of Individuals With The Drive To Make A Difference In Their City. Throughout The Book, Washburn Shows How A Well-designed City Can Be The Most Efficient, Equitable, Safe And Enriching Place On Earth. The Nature Of Urban Design Provides A Framework For Participating In The Process Of Change And Will Inspire And Inform Anyone Who Cares About Cities. Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- Chapter 1. Why Should We Care About Cities? -- Chapter 2. The Process Of Urban Design -- Chapter 3. The Products Of Urban Design -- Chapter 4. The Process And Products Of The High Line -- Chapter 5. Urban Design For Greater Resilience -- Epilogue -- Endnotes -- Index. By Alexandros Washburn. The best cities become an ingrained part of their residents' identities. Urban design is the key to this process, but all too often, citizens abandon it to professionals, unable to see a way to express what they love and value in their own neighborhoods. New in paperback, this visually rich book by Alexandros Washburn, former Chief Urban Designer of the New York Department of City Planning, redefines urban design. His book empowers urbanites and lays the foundations for a new approach to design that will help cities to prosper in an uncertain future. He asks his readers to consider how cities shape communities, for it is the strength of our communities, he argues, that will determine how we respond to crises like Hurricane Sandy, whose floodwaters he watched from his home in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Washburn draws heavily on his experience within the New York City planning system while highlighting forward-thinking developments in cities around the world. He grounds his book in the realities of political and financial challenges that hasten or hinder even the most beautiful designs. By discussing projects like the High Line and the Harlem Children's Zone as well as examples from Seoul to Singapore, he explores the nuances of the urban design process while emphasizing the importance of individuals with the drive to make a difference in their city. Throughout the book, Washburn shows how a well-designed city can be the most efficient, equitable, safe, and enriching place on earth. The Nature of Urban Design provides a framework for participating in the process of change and will inspire and inform anyone who cares about cities. Front Matter....Pages I-XXII Introduction....Pages 1-14 Why Should We Care About Cities?....Pages 15-50 The Process of Urban Design....Pages 51-96 The Products of Urban Design....Pages 97-136 The Process and Products of the High Line....Pages 137-160 Urban Design for Greater Resilience....Pages 161-216 Back Matter....Pages 217-238 Using real-life examples, this title draws heavily from the New York experience, to show how to design beautiful urban spaces that achieve multiple goals and objectives, such as greater resilience, livability and equity, while addressing the political and financial challenges that can accelerate or slow implementation.