The Routledge Handbook of Urban Design Practice

The Routledge Handbook of Urban Design Practice brings together diverse voices in urban design, emphasizing the urgent need for innovative approaches to address shared challenges and offering actionable steps to empower practitioners, students, and academics in creating vibrant and sustainable cities.

The three-part structure of the Handbook guides the reader from foundations in urban design practice to an exploration of the great challenges confronting cities and people today, closing with a consideration of the future of urban design. Part One: Urban Design Today offers a snapshot of historical influences, indirect design strategies, global perspectives, direct design strategies, and technological advances. Part Two: Urban Design Challenged includes perspectives on climate change and ecological design, public health, community change, social justice in urban design, economic resilience, and place quality. Part Three: Urban Design Tomorrow provokes deep thought on the state of the world and where urban design finds a place in making a better future. Each section of the book includes several chapters, which are preceded by introductions that situate and contextualize the writing to help the reader better comprehend the field. Each chapter defines a topic area, presents critical evaluation, and provides steps in practice that guide the reader toward a future that is more just, sustainable, and responsive. Following each chapter is a set of key summary messages that encapsulate central themes and suggestions for further reading that expand topical knowledge for the interested reader. The Handbook is comprised of over 100 new contributions on topics across urban design practice by a diverse array of authors from around the world. These voices represent the interdisciplinary nature of urban design: architects, planners, landscape architects, civil and transportation engineers, policymakers, and real estate developers. A glossary of built environment terms enriches urban design vocabulary, while cross-coding facilitates easy navigation to related materials for enhanced understanding. The Handbook serves as a go-to guide for urban designers seeking to expand their knowledge on special topics within and adjacent to their work, offering valuable insight into the methods and practices that are advancing urban design.

The primary audience consists of practitioners, students, and academics interested in the practice of urban design. In addition to built environment professionals, the book will also be of interest to those taking part in the urban conversation: city leaders, public officials, civic and nongovernment organizations (NGOs), and engaged urbanists. The Handbook addresses how technological advancements and the big challenges are reshaping urban spaces, making it an essential resource for those involved in the transformation and future of our cities.

Molly O’Neill Robinson, AICP is an urban designer and planner, a career-line instructor at the University of Utah's College of Architecture and Planning, and founder of MOR Design & Planning. With nine years leading Salt Lake City's urban design efforts, she spearheaded the Downtown Plan, reframing public engagement to include previously marginalized communities and establishing urban policy that supports downtown as a vibrant, livable neighborhood. Previously, she worked with award-winning teams at OLIN and Sasaki.

Michael Angelo Larice, PhD is an urban designer and educator. For more than two decades, he has taught urban design, urban studies, and pedagogy at the University of California, Berkeley, the University of British Columbia, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Utah, developing urban design curricula at each school. His design studios partnered with municipal governments, public agencies, and community organizations, often involving funded international travel. His academic work focuses on the public realm, streetscapes, livability, social sustainability, and slum upgrading. His professional work includes projects in Aruba, southern Africa, and California. With UC Berkeley Professor Elizabeth Macdonald, he co-edited two editions of Routledge’s Urban Design Reader. Dr. Larice holds a BA in Design and a Master of Architecture from UCLA, and a PhD in Planning and Urban Design from UC Berkeley.

Allen Penniman weaves urban planning, design, and real estate development into the equitable revitalization of distressed urban communities. He practices as a senior urban planner at Agency Landscape + Planning and teaches at the University of Pennsylvania. Allen’s work has involved reactivating commercial corridors, realizing housing development, sustaining postindustrial creative districts, and reinventing streets to support joyful public life.

Amanda Haycox has worked as both a statutory and strategic planner for state and local government as well as a planning consultant in the private sector. She began her career planning for public housing in the state government and later as a planner in the (then) state Department of Infrastructure. She worked as a planner in Eswatini, Southern Africa, and as a planner in the Birmingham City Council in England. Amanda is currently the Coordinator of City Strategy and Place Planning Glen Eira City Council in Melbourne, Australia.