The urban design process

the urban design process author background, Hamid Shirvani is recently a professor and chancellor in Pennsylvania State University. He spent his entire career in the education field and teaching in various locations in USA till he reached the highest level he holds now. Shirvani has served on numerous public and private boards and Commissions, these boards functions are mainly educational function and related to developing the higher education research and systems in the place of his work. He worked in professional development committees and sites. As it is clear from his work CV that he spent most of his career in the theoretical field but not in the professional work environment, it’s obvious also that there is no indication of direct participation in laboratory work in any of the fields of his specialty rather than the university and education environment. This provides the reader of full perspective of the author’s educational background and his relevant work experience as mostly it’s to developing the theory, and making it efficient in application in the real world urban design professional life.

In terms of who are the targeted audience of this book. As he indicates in his preface that urban design is a complex multidisciplinary field that encompasses architecture, landscape, urban planning, civil and transportation engineering, psychology, real estate development, and law. I would like to add to these fields the most important Geography. He admits that covering all these fields in one book is a very hard task and presenting a state of art volume too. The author in his book goes through the urban design process as he claims piece by piece, chopping the process into chapters and discussing the various elements of the process one by one. In order to understand the urban design process this book is a good source of having a full perspective of the overall structure of the field and further can build on it if required. The book can serve a wide range of specialties looking to get an understanding of what is urban design , what type of activities it comprise, and which disciplines are involved in the full process. To be specific, this book can serve more the related fields professionals in the beginning of their career.

Talking about the book theme. The book is centered on the American urban planning and architecture systems. As urban design comprise various appraisals, surveys, studies the author disclose the variety of paths to obtain data and human contribution to it; he summarizes concepts of the elements of the urban form in the city and its importance where the urban design is going to operate. Articulating the environmental change impact on the planning system and architecture practice and vice versa, in some areas discussion focus on the defects in the system and presenting ways to alter and change the system. The author presents several urban design methods in detail and the most used method in practice; as well highlights different types of design criteria for planners and designers use to analyze and assess development design and documentations such as regulations and guidelines. The detailed explanation of various concepts comes from architecture practice origin as it relates to architecture design. The author presents his book the urban design process in a different style than other books by dividing the urban design process into parts and presenting it in separate chapters; he does not illustrate the integration of each part and the cycling process from part to part only when examining and discussing the urban design methods. It is essential to read this book to take a full perspective of the urban design and planning in the western context and specifically USA as there are various similarities between the USA planning system and other systems in the world such as the Middle East.

What are the messages the author presented in his introduction about the book. Shivirani sends clear messages to the reader in his introduction; he indicates the main points of discussion in his journey throughout his book. It’s hard to present a comprehensive book on urban design within the changing context and development as he emphasizes on general concepts and methods in urban design. Urban design emerged as a separate discipline in late 1950s, but still existed earlier than this date. Urban design is part of the planning system; the name is presented differently depending on country context such as town planning…ETC. The author defines discrepancies and wrong and common error as considering urban design part of architecture. Urban design and planning system are part of a whole; he defines the major failures of the planning system and causes. Brief examples of the major concepts of urban design subject of further detail discussion and study in the following chapters, various building scales and relation to surrounding space, access for elderly in congested infrastructure and dense areas, development in suburban areas and environmental problems, and conducting research in preparation of all surveys and appraisals and research for documentation work within the urban design process.

Is this book aimed to be a text book or for the development of practitioners ? The author presents urban design process from three perspectives theoretical, research, major urban planning debate issues. The overall content of this book is targeted towards the education and research communities, some minor areas deal with the latest urban planning issues and providing resolutions for them. Though the author participated with major research academics for various urban design and environmental potential challenges to tackle, but the book lacks direct involvement with professional practice. The urban design process involves many engineering disciplines influencing the process and its outcomes. For example, transport modeling and planning affect the urban form created by the urban designers and directly influence their decision-making process within the urban design process. Accordingly, that was not covered in this book but highlighting the effect of infrastructure on the overall city urban form.

Regarding the overall ideas of the book and its coherency and connectivity. The structure of the book is designed by the author in different theme. As we may know that the urban design process is a sequence process and iterative in a various manner within every stage, but here he presented the urban design process differently. To start with, the first chapter is reserved for discussing the elements of the urban form, second chapter highlights the elements of the planning system and development regulations influence on urban design. The first activity in the process is the site appraisal where he discusses it in his third chapter and the impact of environmental challenges to the process. Urban designers follow a certain procedure in the development design preparation; here the author provides various methods in the fourth chapter and the evaluation procedure for the design process and the documentation work in the fifth chapter. Upon preparing the urban design for any development a development guidelines and program documentation is prepared this process is illustrated in the fifth chapter. A distinctive element of this book is the three chapters reserved for the implementation process in its several perspectives, administrative, legal, and financial. Shivirani ends his book of urban design prospects predicting future change.

For knowledge information to date relevance ; As he indicates in his introduction that in an ever changing context it’s hard to write a book that covers all aspects of urban design. The general theme and structure of the book in relation to the urban design process is still relevant, parts and areas of urban design process have changed and new knowledge is presented by urban design researchers and designers. Evaluation procedures changed as every firm conducting the urban design work in professional practice posses their own formulas. As for implementation, various frameworks are available nowadays in practice. The book presented its content underpinned by strong visual illustration ranging from diagrams, graphs, charts, 3d drawings, master plans, and flowcharts.

The author was very successful in reflecting the book content by selecting the proper book title; it is observed in its introduction and the chapter’s content and knowledge.

References reliability and creditability .In every chapter the author provides a flood of references reflecting the strong academic background and knowledge covering the major and minor elements of every chapter content. The book references are from academic area specialty and publications of the most well known publication companies. The references also are supported by public related publications such as government departments of planning, adding to those nonprofit organizations studies.

One might ask why I should read this book ? Geographers who are willing to understand the urban design process in its real design context, this is the right place to look for knowledge and information. Architects wants to obtain certain knowledge about the urban planning policy and program guidance writing as well as evaluation procedures here is the correct place to read. Urban designers willing to relocate to the American context to work or to conduct research and wants to understand the system and how all the system work in conjunction to other policy and legal procedures the book is the perfect book to read in the beginning. If a practitioner wants to go into detail about one of the elements of the urban design process he should read the relevant chapter here before proceeding to other references as the author have provided a wealth of references from different backgrounds. for further details about the efficient procedure to write a book review read my article click here.