Urban Design and Planning (UrDP): Books

Once known as a "drug capital" and associated with kidnappings, violence, and excess, Bogot#65533;, Colombia, has undergone a transformation that some have termed "the miracle of Bogot#65533;." Beginning in the late 1980s, the city emerged from a long period of political and social instability to become an unexpected model of urban development through the redesign and revitalization of the public realm--parks, transportation, and derelict spaces--under the leadership of two "public space mayors," Antanas Mockus and Enrique Pe#65533;alosa (the latter reelected in 2015). In Learning from Bogot#65533;, Rachel Berney analyzes how these mayors worked to reconfigure the troubled city into a pedagogical one whose public spaces and urban policy have helped shape a more tolerant and aware citizenry. Berney examines the contributions of Mockus and Pe#65533;alosa through the lenses of both spatial/urban design and the city's history. She shows how, through the careful intertwining of new public space and transportation projects, the reclamation of privatized public space, and the refurbishment of dilapidated open spaces, the mayors enacted an ambitious urban vision for Bogot#65533; without resorting to the failed method of the top-down city master plan. Illuminating the complex interplay between formal politics, urban planning, and improvised social strategies, as well as the negative consequences that accompanied Bogot#65533;'s metamorphosis, Learning from Bogot#65533; offers significant lessons about the possibility for positive and lasting change in cities around the world.

As human activity and environmental change come to be increasingly recognized as intertwined phenomena on a rapidly urbanizing planet, the field of urban ecology has risen to offer useful ways of thinking about coupled human and natural systems. On the forefront of this discipline is Marina Alberti, whose innovative work offers a conceptual framework for uncovering fundamental laws that govern the complexity and resilience of cities, which she sees as key to understanding and responding to planetary change and the evolution of Earth. Bridging the fields of urban planning and ecology, Alberti describes a science of cities that work on a planetary scale and that links unpredictable dynamics to the potential for innovation. It is a science that considers interactions - at all scales - between people and built environments and between cities and their larger environments. Cities That Think like Planets advances strategies for planning a future that may look very different from the present, as rapid urbanization could tip the Earth toward abrupt and nonlinear change. Alberti's analyses of the various hybrid ecosystems, such as self-organization, heterogeneity, modularity, multiple equilibria, feedback, and transformation, may help humans participate in guiding the Earth away from inadvertent collapse and toward a new era of planetary co-evolution and resilience.

Seemingly messy and chaotic, the landscapes and urban life of cities in Asia possess an order and hierarchy which often challenge understanding and appreciation. With a cross-disciplinary group of authors, Messy Urbanism: Understanding the "Other" Cities of Asia examines a range of cases in Asia to explore the social and institutional politics of urban formality and the contexts in which this "messiness" emerges or is constructed. The book brings a distinct perspective to the broader patterns of informal urban orders and processes as well as their interplay with formalized systems and mechanisms. It also raises questions about the production of cities, cityscapes, and citizenship.

In Play in Creative Problem-solving for Planners and Architects, "play" is defined, explored and demonstrated as a critical catalyst in creative problem-solving processes. The book defines the current psychological research into play and creative problem-solving, explores the necessary integration of the two, and exemplifies for students and practitioners the use of play in creative endeavors; and the role that play serves in separating linear from creative problem-solving approaches. Play is explored regarding its elements (tools, skills, environment), characteristics (a free activity without failure) and attitude as it relates to and activates the creative process with the focus on urban design, planning, architecture, and landscape architecture. The book re-establishes the whole mind-body thinking process of play as a means of object-learning; to provide designers and planners with alternative ways of design-thinking; and to challenge the over-utilization of digital technologies in creative processes. Creative problem-solving requires an appreciation for ambiguity, uncertainty of outcome, complexity that leads to the discovery of novelty and innovation. The book incorporates examples and exercises in play activities related to the design and planning fields, and exercises related to play-tools and skills for students and professionals. It also defines terms used in play and creativity psychology; provides examples and structure for play and creative problem-solving activities; describes the type and use of appropriate play-tools; contains an extensive bibliography on play and creative problem-solving texts; and provides significant illustrations making it fundamental reading for students and professionals in urban design and planning fields.

With well over 300 contributors and 500 entries, "Encyclopedia of Urban America: The Cities and Suburbs" details selected major cities, suburbs, people, places, concepts, contemporary issues, history, and development of urban America. Topics range from problems typically associated with urban life such as crime, pollution, and congestion to the arts and humanities, social concerns, religion, infrastructure, key individuals, and economic issues. Numerous illustrations, cross-references, bibliographies, a thematic locator, and a general index supplement a volume that will be a welcome addition to high school, college, and public libraries.

This dictionary, a revised an updated edition of the Planning Advisory Service's best selling Glossary of Zoning, Development, and Planning Terms, contains more than 4,200 terms used by planners around the nation. This new edition contains an introduction by Harvey Moscowitz, FAICP, chief editor of The Illustrated Book of Development Definitions, and Carl Lindbloom, AICP.Contributors include many APA Research Department staff, who culled hundreds of ordinances, plans, and planning documents to offer readers choices of definitions and commentaries that add depth and value to the dictionary. The report includes a CD-ROM in PDF format (requires Acrobat Reader, a free download from www.adobe.com) with a built-in search function, which greatly increases usability. A Planner's Dictionary is an essential desk reference.

The new student edition of the definitive reference on urban planning and design Planning and Urban Design Standards, Student Edition is the authoritative and reliable volume designed to teach students best practices and guidelines for urban planning and design. Edited from the main volume to meet the serious student's needs, this Student Edition is packed with more than 1,400 informative illustrations and includes the latest rules of thumb for designing and evaluating any land-use scheme--from street plantings to new subdivisions. Students find real help understanding all the practical information on the physical aspects of planning and urban design they are required to know, including: * Plans and plan making * Environmental planning and management * Building types * Transportation * Utilities * Parks and open space, farming, and forestry * Places and districts * Design considerations * Projections and demand analysis * Impact assessment * Mapping * Legal foundations * Growth management preservation, conservation, and reuse * Economic and real estate development Planning and Urban Design Standards, Student Edition provides essential specification and detailing information for various types of plans, environmental factors and hazards, building types, transportation planning, and mapping and GIS. In addition, expert advice guides readers on practical and graphical skills, such as mapping, plan types, and transportation planning.