"Companion to Urban Design provides far more than a single companion with a unitary perspective. Rather, it places the reader at the centre of an entire social network of deeply reflective commentators, each of whom inivtes us to debate and define the contours of the field. For students, faculty, and practitioners alike this volume pushes out at those boundaries and demonstrates how urban design has become integral to what it means to inhabit city-regions thoughtfully." Lawrence Vale, Ford Professor of Urban Design and Planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology USA"This companion with carefully selected original contributions will serve the Built Environment and cognate fields extremely well. The current knowledge and debate in Urban Design is clearly presented making an invaluable as well as very accessible contribution. It will enhance our understanding of the current issues and approaches in Urban Design to make our environments liveable and enjoyable by respecting the needs of different communities and interest groups today as well as the future inhabitants of our planet." >Professor Taner OC, Editor of The Journal of Urban Design (Routledge), School of the Built Environment, Nottingham University, UK.Today the practice of urban design has forged a distinctive identity with applications at many different scales - ranging from the block or street scale to the scale of metropolitan and regional landscapes. Urban design interfaces many aspects of contemporary public policy: multiculturalism, healthy cities, environmental justice, economic development, climate change, enregy conservation, protection of natural environments, sustainable development, community liveability and the like. The field now comprises a core body of knowledge that enfolds a rich history of ideas, paradigms, principles, tools, research, and applications, enriched by eclectic influences from the humanities, and social and natural sciences.Companion to Urban Design includes more than 50 original contributions from internationally recognized authorities in the field. These contributions address the following questions: what are the important ideas that have shaped the field and the current practice of urban design? What are the major methods and processes that have influenced the practice of urban design at various scales? What are the current innovations relevant to the pedagogy of urban design? What are the lingering debates, conflicts and contradictions in the theory and practice of urban design? How could urban design respond to the contemporary challenges of climate change, sustainability, active living initiatives, globalization, and the like? What are the significant disciplinary influences on the theory, research, and practice of urban design in recent times?There has never before been a more authoritative and comprehensive companion that includes core, foundational, and pioneering ideas, and concepts of urban design. This book serves as an invaluable guide for undergraduate and postgraduate students, future professionals, and practitioners interested in architecture, landscape architecture, and urban planning, and also interested in urban studies, urban affairs, geography, and related fields.