ABSTRACT
Chapter 4 makes the connection between complexity theory related to human settlements and the act or engagement of (urban) design. The chapter begins with the distinctions and relationships between organization and structure in design composition, followed by a detailed discussion and demonstration of the elements and principles of design composition—the language of urban design with its spatial “nouns” and “verbs” or activators. At the heart of the chapter is a discussion and demonstration of compositional structures that provide an overall ordering spatial mechanism for communities and the spatial frameworks that are the underlying guides for the complex compositions of human settlements. Exercises and examples are provided.
