The Courtyard House: From Cultural Reference to Universal Relevance. Edited by Nasser O. Rabbat

Using an innovative architectural and social science approach, this book examines the political, economic, social, and spatial factors that affect cultural sustainability. Supported by a multiplicity of data including: field surveys, interviews with residents, architects, and planners, time diaries, drawings, photos, planning documents, observation notes, and real estate brochures, the book proposes new courtyard garden house design strategies that promote healthy communities and human care for one another, a concept that is universally applicable. It provides a holistic view, encompassing eastern and western tangible and intangible cultures in the theorization of 'cultural sustainability'.