Welcome to the Handbook
The Ideal City: Exploring Urban Futures
Description:As this phenomenon takes place, an increasing number of architects, innovators and policy-makers are rethinking the city to make the most of space and resources. This book chronicles the design of urban futures. From apps designed to curb food waste to inventive fresh water infrastructure, The Ideal City explores the many initiatives and experiments, all with the shared goal of making the cities of tomorrow a happier, healthier and more inclusive place to be.
Publication Year:2024
Soft City: Building Density for Everyday Life
Description:Imagine waking up to the gentle noises of the city, and moving through your day with complete confidence that you will get where you need to go quickly and efficiently. Soft City is about ease and comfort, where density has a human dimension, adapting to our ever-changing needs, nurturing relationships, and accommodating the pleasures of everyday life. How do we move from the current reality in most cites—separated uses and lengthy commutes in single-occupancy vehicles that drain human, environmental, and community resources—to support a soft city approach? In Soft City David Sim, partner and creative director at Gehl, shows how this is possible, presenting ideas and graphic examples from around the globe. He draws from his vast design experience to make a case for a dense and diverse built environment at a human scale, which he presents through a series of observations of older and newer places, and a range of simple built phenomena, some traditional and some totally new inventions.
The Great Neighborhood Book: A Do-It-Yourself Guide to Placemaking
Description:This book offers practical insights into creating vibrant community-oriented neighborhoods through placemaking initiatives and engagement.
Author:Jay Walljasper
Publication Year:2007
Description:German sculptor, artist, landscape architect, and interdisciplinary urban planner. He founded the firm Atelier Dresiseitl in 1980 with a vision to develop liveable cities inspired by a deep understanding of water.
Description:Pierre Nora is a French historian elected to the Académie française on 7 June 2001. He is known for his work on French identity and memory.
Description:Henri Lefebvre was a French Marxist philosopher and sociologist, best known for pioneering the critique of everyday life, for introducing the concepts of the right to the city and the production of social space, and for his work on dialectical materialism and alienation.
Description:German sculptor, artist, landscape architect and interdisciplinary urban planner. He founded the firm Atelier Dreiseitl in 1980 with a vision to develop liveable cities inspired by a deep understanding of water.
Description:Creative placemaking is a community-centered approach to revitalizing public spaces through arts, culture, and local storytelling. It empowers residents, artists, and organizations to collaborate in transforming the physical and social character of a place. Unlike traditional top-down urban design, creative placemaking values grassroots leadership and lived experiences as essential to shaping inclusive, vibrant environments. In projects like the Alleyway Concerts by Barrio Alegría in Reading, Pennsylvania, creative placemaking brought new life to underused spaces such as alleyways and laundromats, inviting neighbors to co-create cultural events. These initiatives promote not only artistic expression but also public safety, economic activation, and social cohesion. By embedding creativity into daily life, creative placemaking helps communities reclaim space, build trust, and imagine new futures together.
Description:Supporting local businesses, vendors, and job creation to enhance the economic sustainability of a place.