ABSTRACT
For the majority of readers of this book, the automatic answer to the question, ‘Does urban design add value?’ will be a resounding ‘YES’. Just as the editorial leaning of newspapers,
websites, or (in some countries) TV stations largely determines who reads or views them, each receiving daily confirmation of their worldview, likewise, if we didn’t believe that urban design was a worthwhile activity, most likely we wouldn’t have taken the time to pick up, let alone read, this book. To that extent, those who have published in these pages are in large part preaching to the already converted, whilst many others with an important influence on how our built environment is shaped will take a more sceptical view or will have no view at all. They are unlikely to read the urban design literature and will take a good deal more convincing.
