The Urban Design Reader brings together some of the most influential writing on the historical development and contemporary practice of urban design. Emerging as a distinct field of environmental design practice in the late 1950s, urban design bridges the fields of architecture, planning, landscape architecture, civil engineering, urban development, and social science - with a focus on physical form and the social use of space. Among university programs, the design professions, interest groups and city governments around the world, the practice of urban design is recognized as a means of addressing 21st Century urban challenges. As planning and development processes have become more participatory in recent years, the number of people interested in improving the design of their cities and neighborhoods has also grown. The timeliness of The Urban Design Reader parallels recent public interest in making better cities and urban places.

This anthology includes forty-one selections that illuminate the history, theory and practice of urban design. In addition to classic writings from the field's luminaries, such as Jane Jacobs, William H. Whyte, and Kevin Lynch, The Urban Design Reader provides recent material on the urban design aspects of contemporary urbanism, place-making, density, sustainability, neighborhood planning, traffic calming, green infrastructure, and the public realm. The readings are organized into eight topical sections beginning with historical precedents, continuing with a variety of theoretical and pragmatic concerns, and concluding with material on current professional practice. The sections begin with introductory essays that contextualize and situate major themes within the field. In addition, introductions for each selection highlight important lessons emanating from the literature, as well as biographical information on the authors and suggested supplemental reading.

</P>