Research Guides
- University of Washington Libraries
- Library Guides
- UW Libraries
- Urban Design and Planning (UrDP)
- Writing on Urban Design and Planning
Urban Design and Planning (UrDP): Writing on Urban Design and Planning
Subject Guide for Urban Design and Planning Students.
What's Been Done
Finding previous theses in architecture:
- Society of Architectural Historians (SAH) database of Dissertations and Theses
- Faculty-curated list of architectural history Dissertations and Theses (1994-2008)
- To see Dissertations and Theses available the UW Catalog:
- Search the UW Catalog using "urban design" or "urban planning" as a "subject":
- Then filter by "Resource Type" to include only "Dissertations and Theses":
Starting Out
Consider what type of thesis that you want to undertake.
Types of Theses:
- Architectural Engineering
- For topics in this area, the American Society of Civil Engineering Database can be useful.
- Architectural Theory
- Consult WorldCat or UW Libraries Catalog for author. movement name (e.g. "semiotics"), or specific theory or method {e.g., "discourse analysis" or "time-consciousness").
- Case Study/Building Typologies
- Consult WorldCat or UW Libraries Catalog for architect of building, name of building or building type name
- Design Project Local/Elsewhere
- Search for information on the architect's name or project name.
- Use Google (Books, Scholar, Images) in concert with WorldCat, UW Libraries Catalog, UW Libraries Research Guides.
- Use UW Libraries Research Guides in other disciplines, e.g., Psychology, Civil Engineering, Political Science.
- Historical Subject Local/Elsewhere
- Local Subjects: See "Research Topics" Seattle Information/History, UW Campus Architecture
- Biographical Survey
- Monograph on part or all of an architect or firm's work.
Print Resources
The Craft of Research by
With more than three-quarters of a million copies sold since its first publication, The Craft of Research has helped generations of researchers at every level--from first-year undergraduates to advanced graduate students to research reporters in business and government--learn how to conduct effective and meaningful research. Conceived by seasoned researchers and educators Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, and Joseph M. Williams, this fundamental work explains how to find and evaluate sources, anticipate and respond to reader reservations, and integrate these pieces into an argument that stands up to reader critique. The fourth edition has been thoroughly but respectfully revised by Joseph Bizup and William T. FitzGerald. It retains the original five-part structure, as well as the sound advice of earlier editions, but reflects the way research and writing are taught and practiced today. Its chapters on finding and engaging sources now incorporate recent developments in library and Internet research, emphasizing new techniques made possible by online databases and search engines. Bizup and FitzGerald provide fresh examples and standardized terminology to clarify concepts like argument, warrant, and problem. Following the same guiding principle as earlier editions--that the skills of doing and reporting research are not just for elite students but for everyone--this new edition retains the accessible voice and direct approach that have made The Craft of Research a leader in the field of research reference. With updated examples and information on evaluation and using contemporary sources, this beloved classic is ready for the next generation of researchers.
Call Number: Built Environments Library - Reference - Q180.55.M4 B66 2016ISBN: 9780226239569Publication Date: 2016-10-19
Research Methods for Architecture by
While fundamentally a design discipline, architectural education requires an element of history and theory, grouped under the term "research." However, many students struggle with this part of their course. This practical handbook provides the necessary grounding in this subject, addressing essential questions about what research in architecture can be. The first part of the book is a general guide to the fundamentals of how to do research, from assembling a literature review to conducting an interview. The second section presents a selection of case studies dealing with such topics as environmental psychology, the politics of space, ethnographic research, and mapping. The range of methods explored illustrates the variety of possible approaches, with authoritative guidance on how best to deploy a research framework.
Call Number: BE Library - Reference - NA2000 .L83 2016ISBN: 9781780677538Publication Date: 2016-02-16
Landscape Architecture Research by
A practical, single-source guide tosuccessful strategies for landscape architecture research As the scope of landscape architecture expands to engage with other disciplines, and streams of information directing this field continue to grow and diversify, it becomes increasingly important for landscape architects to be able to implement a range of effective research strategies when seeking, creating, and validating knowledge. Landscape Architecture Research offers a framework for advancing better design thinking solutions by supplying readers with a system of inquiry tactics that open up a wider range of research possibilities. With a logical and innovative approach that favors legitimacy of knowledge based on collective, grounded practices, rather than strict adherence to protocols drawn only from scientific models, this comprehensive, illustrated guide produces a sound argument for establishing a new paradigm for legitimizing research quality. Landscape Architecture Research presents: Case studies that show how the range of presented research strategies have been successfully used in practice New perspective on the relationship between theory, research, practice, and critique, a relationship that is specific to landscape architecture Detailed coverage of the ways that new knowledge is produced through research activities and practical innovations in landscape architecture The first and only book on this topic of growing importance in landscape architecture, Landscape Architecture Research keeps professionals and students in step with the latest developments in landscape architecture, and delivers a dynamic and flexible game plan for verifying the integrity of their work.
Call Number: BE Library - Reference - SB469.4 .D46 2011ISBN: 9780470564172Publication Date: 2011-04-12
Research Methods for Construction by
This is one of the few books to provide guidance on research formulation, methodologies, and methods specifically for construction students. The third edition has been updated throughout and extended in scope to cover many areas of concern in quantitative and qualitative research, including research ethics. Three main sections - producing a proposal; executing the research; and reporting the results - discuss the key issues in research and examine the primary approaches, both qualitative and quantitative. The methods adopted for scientific and engineering experiments, model building and simulations are discussed, as well as those employed for research into management, social and economic issues. The authors examine the requirements for data and analysis, including the important statistical considerations and a range of qualitative techniques that enable construction researchers to appreciate what needs to be evaluated in devising how research may be carried out effectively and efficiently. Research Methods in Construction will help you instil rigour into your problem-solving, and your reports and publications. It will be of value to construction, surveying, architecture and civil engineering students undertaking research, whether for bachelors and masters degree dissertations, or for masters and doctoral research degree theses.
Call Number: BE Library - Reference - TH213.5 .F45 2008ISBN: 9781405177900Publication Date: 2008-08-25
Quantitative Research Methods for Architects and Construction Managers by Call Number: BE Library - NA2005 .H37 2004ISBN: 9780975590805Publication Date: 2004-01-01
The Dissertation: An Architecture Student's Handbook by
The Dissertation is one of the most demanding yet potentially most stimulating components of an architectural course. Properly done, it can be a valuable contribution not only to the students own learning development but also to the field of architecture as a whole. This book provides a complete guide to what to do, how to do it, when to do it, and the major pitfalls involved. This is a comprehensive guide to all that an architecture student might need to know about undertaking the dissertation, including new material on CD-ROM and online sources, web based research techniques, digital images, alternative imaging strategies, key architecture links, referencing and new dissertation extracts. It clearly navigates the student through the whole process of writing, preparing and submitting a dissertation, as well as suggesting what to do after the dissertation has been completed. Subjects covered include how to write a proposal, which research methodologies and techniques to adopt, which libraries and archives to utilize (including special architectural resources on the net), as well as how to structure, reference and illustrate the final submission. The authors also take architecture students into new terrain, suggesting alternative methods of undertaking dissertations, whether as video, prose writing, multimedia or other forms of expression. Furthermore, this guide includes new examples of exemplary dissertations of all kinds, as completed by students in Europe and North America so that the reader can clearly see the kinds of work which they themselves might choose to pursue. Also in the Seriously Useful Guides Series: * The Crit * The The Portfolio * Practical Experience
Call Number: BE Library - Reference - NA2108 .B67 2006ISBN: 9780750668255Publication Date: 2005-12-23
Writing Architecture by
Architects expect to design buildings. But persuading clients to carry those designs into tangible form almost always involves writing as well as designing. Yet architects, and those who write about architecture, are often more comfortable with images than words. Presenting their visions in an articulate, accessible, and convincing written form can be difficult, and professionally hazardous. InWriting Architecture, Carter Wiseman provides an invaluable guide for students and practitioners on how to convey the importance of architecture to those who commission it, build it, and benefit from it. Drawing on a wide range of sources and citing examples from such authors as Frank Lloyd Wright, Ada Louise Huxtable, Vincent Scully, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and today's leading designers, Wiseman analyzes basic principles of compositional structure to illustrate the most effective forms of architectural writing. Free of professional and theoretical jargon,Writing Architecture considers the process, methods, and value of architecture writing based on Wiseman's 30 years of experience in writing, editing, and teaching young architects how to write. It integrates historical references with current practice to help students and practitioners reach their professional goals.
Call Number: Built Environments Library - Reference - NA2540 .W67 2014ISBN: 9781595341495Publication Date: 2014-08-26
How Architects Write by
This is the first writing reference book for designers. Whether you're an architect, landscape architect, interiornbsp;designers, or an industrial designer How Architects Write shows you the interdependence of writing and design. Authors Tom Spector and Rebecca Damron present typical writing assignments and explain principles of effective writing by including examples of good form and illustrating common pitfalls. The book includes resources for how to write a designer's manifesto, statements of design intent, criticism, thesis, proposals, review statements, research reports, specifications, field reports, client communications, post-occupancy evaluations, and e-mailed meeting agendas so that you can navigate your career from school to the profession.
Call Number: Built Environments Library - Reference - NA2540 .S59 2013ISBN: 9780415891066Publication Date: 2012-08-10
A Short Guide to Writing about Art by
This best-selling text has guided tens of thousands of art students through the writing process. Students are shown how to analyze pictures (drawings, paintings, photographs), sculptures and architecture, and are prepared with the tools they need to present their ideas through effective writing.
Call Number: Built Environments Library - Reference - N7476 .B37 2011ISBN: 9780205708253Publication Date: 2010-01-03
A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture by
Containing over 6,000 entries from Aalto to ziggurat, this is the most comprehensive and up-to-date dictionary of architecture available. Beautifully illustrated and written in a clear and concise style, it covers all periods of Western architectural history, from ancient times to the presentday. It also includes concise biographies of leading architects, from Brunelleschi and Imhotep to Le Corbusier and Richard Rogers. The text is complemented by over 250 beautiful and meticulous line drawings, labelled cross-sections and diagrams. These include precise drawings of typical buildingfeatures, making it easy for readers to identify particular period styles. The first edition of the Dictionary of Architecture received excellent reviews. Now it has been fully revised, and expanded, bringing it completely up-to-date. New entries include definitions of landscape terms, and biographies of modern architects. Each entry is followed by a mini-bibliography,with suggestions for further reading. It also contains over 50 new illustrations. This is an essential work of reference for anyone with an interest in architecture. With clear descriptions providing in-depth analysis, it is invaluable for students and professional architects, and provides a fascinating wealth of information for the general reader.
Call Number: BE Library - Reference - NA31 .C864 2006ISBN: 9780192806307Publication Date: 2006-05-04
Encyclopedia of 20th-Century Architecture by
For more information including the introduction, a full list of entries and contributors, a generous selection of sample pages and more, visit the Encyclopedia of 20th Century Architecturewebsite. Focusing on architecture from all regions of the world, this three-volume set profiles the twentieth century's vast chronicle of architectural achievements, both within and well beyond the theoretical confines of modernism. Unlike existing works, this encyclopedia examines the complexities of rapidly changing global conditions that have dispersed modern architectural types, movements, styles, and building practices across traditional geographic and cultural boundaries.
Call Number: BE Library - Reference - NA680 .E495 2004ISBN: 9781579582432Publication Date: 2003-12-09
Multilingual Dictionary of Architecture and Building Terms by
With an increasingly mobile workforce internationally, the need for good communication becomes greater. This new dictionary lists over 2000 key terms used in building design and construction in English, French, German, Spanish and Italian. The emphasis is on terms used most regularly in the design office and day-to-day running of a building job on site.
Call Number: BE Library - Reference - NA31 .G74 1998ISBN: 9780419199205Publication Date: 1998-07-28
The encyclopedia of associations and information sources for architects, designers, and engineers by Call Number: BE Library - Reference - NA62 .B35 1998ISBN: 0765600358Publication Date: 1998
Macmillan Encyclopedia of Architects by Call Number: BE Library - Reference - NA40 .M25 1982ISBN: 9780029250006Publication Date: 1982-12-01
Finding Dissertations & Theses
Citation Managers
What is a citation manager?
It's a personal citation database and bibliography creator that allows you to import, store, organize, and share your research citations. It will also automatically format your bibliographies into whatever style you need (APA, MLA, Chicago, and many more). Most citation managers will allow you to annotate sources, attach PDFs and other file types, as well as share content with others.