ABSTRACT
In 1976, Edward Relph invoked the term 'placelessness', a quality he defines in phenomenological and experiential terms. He argues that three aspects contribute to a place's identity, such as its physical setting, its activities, and the social meaning attributed to it. This chapter focuses on the physical aspects, showing how the characteristics that are commonly deemed to be 'placeless' are the consequence of a contemporary approach to development in which ubiquitous products are introduced across wide geographic areas without responding to their context. It shows that this is a reflection of urban meaning, synthesized in a particular group of urban design theories. Theories in urban design act as tools for the urban designer. They may have considerable integrity but are 'descriptions of common urban features or processes' and, as such, are self-evident. The theories categorized as conservative reform seek to suppress the emerging form of the new city, aiming to direct new kinds of growth into traditional built forms.
