Big Plan -- The Charm and Absurdity of Urban Design

Author: Kenneth Cole ()
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-02-01
Features: This book is a critical theoretical work on urban planning and design. The author, from the perspective of the user, explores urban design issues in-depth using unique methods, including architectural hand drawings, three-dimensional models, maps, and computer graphics. It showcases various fantasies about cities, discusses the role of novelty in urban experiences, interprets the dynamic changes of rationality in urban life, and highlights the failures of social engineering and the adaptability of humanistic spirit. The author uses the following urban space cases to narrate the urbanization process in North America, such as the Puritan planning concept in Connecticut, the master plan of Paris, L'Enfant's Washington Square, the planning map designed by Burnham for Cleveland, and the perspective drawing of Native American residential areas by Lloyd K. Thompson. The conceptual and principles of design theory proposed in this book, along with its critical commentary on issues in urban planning and design, play a very important role in enlightening and guiding the development of urban planning and design theory in China. This book is suitable for urban planners, architects, government officials, and relevant professional students in China to read and reference.