“Design Guidelines in American Cities: Conclusions”

What constitutes best practice urban design policy? What are ways of doing urban design and making it effective within different political and regulatory contexts? Substantively and process-wise, what has worked over periods of time and what hasn’t? What can urban designers in one city or country learn from those practicing elsewhere? On the one hand, each city is different from every other one, particularly in regards to governance, bureaucratic structure, economic bases, physical, climatic, social, and cultural contexts, and the roles of citizens in decision-making, so it seems difficult to gain meaningful lessons from how one city does things that apply to another. On the other hand, detailed knowledge about how urban design initiatives are practically accomplished in different cities, particularly when their physical, social, economic, and governmental contexts are well explained, can inspire practitioners to transcend entrenched ways of doing things and explore new possibilities.