Built Design and the Rhetoric of Cities

<P>In Built Design and the Rhetoric of Cities Kathleen M. Vandenberg explores how cities are imagined designed and constructed and analyzes the impact of built design on the movement behavior and experience of people in urban areas. Vandenberg argues that becoming attuned to the built environments of cities is critical to understanding and planning for how they might be reshaped to confront the challenges of this century which include rapid urbanization the global rise in slums climate change and increasing urban air pollution. With a focus on London Copenhagen Amsterdam and Washington DC this book invites readers to consider how the built environment influences mobility the availability of green space placemaking and public memory. Street-level analysis is merged with a humanistic perspective that considers the impact of such urban elements as facades cycle paths sidewalks lighting trees seating parks and monuments on the human experience of cities. By design cities speak—this book offers an understanding of their rhetoric.</P>