ABSTRACT

The multi-method strategy (MMS), which is summarized and translated in a clear and userfriendly manual entitled the Communities in Action (CIA) Handbook (Frey and Romice 2003), is a hands-on instrument for site analysis and development of programmes, frameworks and briefs. It should ideally be used to carry out these activities by community groups in collaboration with designers/planners, but it is suited to be used in a number of scenarios and for a number of purposes. It distinguishes itself from other community planning handbooks in that it is underpinned by a combination of investigative methods borrowed from the field of psychology; this combination stems from a criticism of the limiting scope of the diffuse use of single methods for the study of complex urban problems. Underpinning belief of the handbook is that the image people have of a place is complex, being built over time, through experience and affected by a multitude of factors – formal, social, economic and environmental. Understanding such a complex image is paramount for urban transformation, and must be understood through the innovative use of a number of combined assessment procedures.