ABSTRACT
The poor quality of much of the contemporary built environment (globally) and the lack of concern for overall quality is a function of both the processes by which it comes about and the forces that act on and within those processes. Poor quality urban environments can also arise through various social and economic trends such as those of homogenisation and standardisation; the trend towards individualism rather than collectivism; the privatisation of life and culture; and a retreat from and decline of the public realm. Medical knowledge developed during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries provided criteria for designing healthier buildings and environments, namely the need for light, air, sun and ventilation, and access to open spaces. The car and the urban highway were potent symbols of the new age. The leading Modernist in city design, the Swiss architect and planner, Le Corbusier, extolled the benefits and opportunities provided by cars.
