Common Place: Toward Neighborhood and Regional Design (A Samuel and Althea Stroum Book) (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Doug Kelbaugh has a sparkle in his eye and a vision in his heart, but dirt under his fingernails. He is a scholar and a dreamer, but also a builder. Common Place defines the cutting edge of urban design in the real world." Denis Hayes, President and CEO, the Bullitt Foundation, and founder of Earth Day "Common Place is written with such exquisite clarity and confidence, it is easy to overlook that Doug Kelbaugh is arguing for nothing less than a fundamental reconsideration of contemporary American planning" Don Prowler, Princeton University "This is two books in one. One is the most sophisticated presentation of the New Urbanism to be found anywhere. The other describes the most remarkable series of charrettes ever applied to a city. There isn't much more that a modern planner needs to know." Andres Duany, co-founder, Congress for the New Urbanism "Many of the book's ideas have already been influential in the Seattle area. For designers and planners elsewhere, Common Place represents a valuable contribution towards development of a sustainable design vision." Stephen Wheeler, The Urban Ecologist "With an aim at interactive, creative physical designs for neighborhood, city, and region, this is a book every politician, citizen in an urban action group, and corporate manager should possess. For environmental design courses at academic institutions, it provides proactive and universal design methodologies using the great Seattle region as a laboratory." Donald Leslie Johnson, University of South Australia "There are, unfortunately, very few architects around who can touch as many bases as Doug Kelbaugh, with such authority. When you add to that his commitment to, and knowledge of, his local venue, you have a rare and potent mixture." Alan J. Plattus, Yale University, coeditor of Architecture and Urbanism

Product Description

Common Place is about how we can develop community and create convivial and sustainable places in the face of disjointed and fast-placed growth. It offers strategies for reclaiming and improving our neighborhoods and cities, which today are increasingly dominated by fear and disintegration and the automobile. Douglas Kelbaugh offers here a personal, passionate statement of how architecture and urban design can enrich our lives. At the heart of the book are summaries of eight design workshops, or charrettes, each consisting of five days of brainstorming by university students, community leaders, and design professionals. The charrettes apply design concepts to real problems such as housing, transportation, and suburban sprawl. Thousands of hours of creative effort have produced a blueprint for the Seattle region that is pertinent to other regions. Bridging academic theory and on-the-ground practice, Common Place is an indispensable book for designers, planners, city officials, developers, environmentalists, and citizens interested in understanding and shaping the American metropolis.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 334 pages
• Publisher: University of Washington Press (July 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0295975903
• ISBN-13: 978-0295975900
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: No customer reviews yet. Be the first.
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,666,921 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)