ABSTRACT
The contemporary urban design field is commonly understood to have had its birth in the mid-1950s, spurred by wide-ranging concerns related to diminishing environmental quality, both ecological and urban, and the emergence of a number of theorists and practitioners whose voices crystalized these concerns and pointed toward more environmentally conscious and humanistic approaches to city-building than the functionalist approach espoused by modernism. The ideas and design approaches of these thinkers are explored in Part Two of this reader. But first, it is important to understand what came before, the many ideas and practices that preceded and helped shape the modern urban design field. Here, in Part One, we explore some of the most important historical precedents in urban design, particularly those that still resonate and continue to influence today’s urban design theory and practice.
