Town Spaces [Hardcover]

Rob Krier (Author), Michael Graves (Introduction), Harald Bodenschatz (Author), Hans Ibelings (Author), Philipp Meuser (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 3764369426 | ISBN-13: 978-3764369422 | Publication Date: February 28, 2003 | Edition: 1

In response to the sense of crisis in today´s towns the proponents of new traditionalism offer a form of urban planning which looks back to more traditional styles whilst firmly integrating the requirements of modern life. Their designs are characterised by a sense of public spirit, identification and order. The contributions in this book reveal how these principles relate to the specific European city in the 20th century as well as to the writings of theoreticians from Camillo Sitte up to Rem Koolhaas. The authors reveal why the provocatively conservative approach has enjoyed so much success. They draw comparisons with the New Urbanism found in the USA and develop a systematic approach to town planning. The examples from the Krier Kohl office demonstrate in detail the design process up to the architectural realization by architects such as Michael Graves and Cesar Pelli. They show that new traditionalism in urban planning can fruitfully work together with a wide range of architectural approaches.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

<P><STRONG>Hans Ibelings</STRONG> is an art historian, an architecture critic, and the author of numerous works, including Supermodernism: Architecture in the Age of Globalization (1998, 2003). He is also the editor of the international architecture magazine A10 new European architecture.</P> <P><STRONG>Philipp Meuser</STRONG> is a Dipl-Ing. Architekt BDA and the author of various works, including Moderne Architektur in Kasachstan, Kirgistan und Usbekistan. He runs an architecture firm in Berlin with Natascha Meuser.</P> <P><STRONG>Harald Bodenschatz</STRONG> is professor of the sociology of planning and architecture at the Technische Universität in Berlin and the author of various works, including Stadterneuerung im Umbruch Barcelona, Bologna, Frankfurt am Main, Glasgow, Hamburg, Köln, Kopenhagen, Leipzig, München, Nürnberg, Paris, Rostock, Rotterdam, Wien und Berlin (1994) and Renaissance der Mitte. Zentrumsumbau in London und Berlin (2005).</P> <P><STRONG>Rob Krier</STRONG> and <STRONG>Christoph Kohl</STRONG> pursue an approach to town planning oriented around traditional architecture.</P> --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Birkhäuser Basel; 1 edition (February 28, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3764369426
• ISBN-13: 978-3764369422
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 9.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,512,759 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Teaching urban philosophy by example, January 23, 2009

By 

Andrew Armbruster "apprentice of the city" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Town Spaces: Contemporary Interpretations in Traditional Urbanism (Paperback)

-Summary
Rob Krier uses numerous examples of his urban design plans as a basis for understanding his underlying philosophy of urban design, which focuses on traditional neighborhood typologies and creating truly urban, human scaled environments.

-Thesis Paragraph
"The applied arts of architecture and urban design work with a set of objective theorems that do not have to be reinvented by every generation. The staging of spatial sequences in an urban architectural structure can draw upon a gigantic store of knowledge. Their geometrical parameters are infinitely variable, the opportunities for innovation based on a secured repertoire are boundless. The adherence to rules that are tried and true is not tainted the way copying is. Making use of the experiences of history does not brand one as an epigon or an eclectic. A profound knowledge of history enables us to confront emanations of the times critically and to hold alternative models up to the modern city."

-What I have gained from this book
I gained a practical understanding of how typology and to a certain extent morphology is applied to physical designs.

-Final Word
This is a great book for the studying typologist who has a firm grasp of theory but wishes to see that theory translated into practicable terms. This should not be read as an academic introduction to typology.

I wish that the book included more images and plans of each site before their work, so as to contrast between old and new. Without them it is hard to appreciate the benefits and change their projects bring to the area. The lack of the original site plan also makes it difficult to derive some of the reasoning for each of their changes. I also wish the book would have provided more annotations of the many images it includes. It is sometimes difficult to appreciate what each image brings to the discourse. It is for these reasons that I give the book four stars.

-Words/Phrases I found to be of particular relevance:
Typology, traditional neighborhood, traditional architecture, public space

-Notable quotations:
"The towns that have naturally grown over time represent our textbook of urban design and architecture. The secrets of their structures can hardly be grasped through books. One has to travel to research them and make comparisons between cities and from country to country."

"Technical innovations may change our lives ever so much, but at some point we fall on our feet again and notice that we are bound to these physical limitations, and the more technology gives us wings, the more they will gain in emotional significance."