PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION
My interest in urban design began in the mid 1950s
with Professor McCaughan’s history of planning
lectures given in the then Department of Civic
Design, University of Liverpool. At those lectures
‘Mac’ made it quite clear that he was a follower of
Camillo Sitte, a Viennese architect whose main work
dated from the last decade of the nineteenth century.
After a five-year education in architecture where the
heroic dimension of modern architecture was
stressed, it came as a refreshing tonic to read the
works of a scholar, Sitte, who analysed urban form to
distil from it the principles of good design. After
Sitte, the writings of Le Corbusier and those of like
mind could be seen for what they were – polemical
manifestos. This is not meant to denigrate the work
of Le Corbusier, he is one of the great architects of
this century, nothing can destroy that reputation.
However, as a planner and urbanist Le Corbusier, and
more particularly followers of lesser stature, are
responsible for much environmental damage throughout
European cities – vandalism would not be too
strong a word for such developments.
The early years of my professional career were
spent in developing countries, Singapore, Ghana,
Nigeria and the Sudan. Those years living and
working with people of diverse life-styles gave a valuable insight into the relationship of built form
and culture. Again under the influence of ‘Mac’ I
read works in social anthropology and made studies
of traditional settlement form and architecture.
Walking in Singapore’s China Town or exploring the
wonderful mud cities of the Hausa, Nigeria together
with readings in anthropology convinced me of the
aridity of much contemporary urban design.
From the mid 1960s onwards I worked closely
with ‘Mac’, first at Liverpool University, then at the
Queen’s University of Belfast and latterly at Nottingham
University. During 25 years ‘Mac’ and I collaborated
on many European student field trips exploring
a rich urban heritage with our students. This book
is an introduction to our common European urban
design heritage and the reader is advised to visit the
places mentioned in the text as the printed word,
drawings and photographs are no substitute for the
excitement of personal discovery. The following text
is a starting point which may help the development
of the reader’s own critical faculties and so lead to a
greater appreciation of the European street and square.
The need for a book of this type was made
apparent to me on my recent visits to universities in
the developing world. For example, during a twomonth
visit to Nairobi University, where I was teaching the urban studio, I undertook to develop
the workshop lectures and seminars into some form
of useful publication. Eight years later that task is
now complete. Three further volumes on urban design have now been published entitled Urban
Design: Ornament and Decoration, Urban Design:
Green Dimensions, Urban Design: Method and
Techniques.
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