research program / publications

Nowadays urban design can not exist without debate about the future and the role of cities. In addition to that it has to be intertwined with the future of the planet. The book briefly presents the primary qualities and evaluation criteria of urban projects for the development, completion or repair of parts of settlements and cities, as they interact with planetary processes.

It is a handbook that brings together introductory theoretical knowledge and techniques for the processes of urban design, at the intermediate scale between architecture and urban planning. It encapsulates a good number of references to primary theoretical considerations and influential developments in the way that the field of urban design has been defined as a practice and as an interdisciplinary subject until now, and in the context of sustainability.

As a handbook, it aims to establish the design practice systematically and analytically, “pragmatically” and creatively at the same time, in the necessary fields of scientific and technical consideration, to produce liveable urban spaces, that is, that enjoy wide recognition, successful use, environmental and ecological contribution regarding place, by and for people and their communities. It doesn’t seek to completely cover the scope of the creative or compositional design process, since this can have various sources of creativity. However, it sets the necessary conditions for design gestures with reference mainly to the cities of the European South and in particular to the Greek cities.

This handbook is structured in self-contained chapters that refer to the different aspects of urban design studies, drawing on urban morphology, strategic urban planning, environmental planning, architecture, and city governance. Each chapter includes educational material, exercises and activities, a bibliography, and sources for further in-depth study, and refers to a multitude of more specific instructions, applications, and precedents.

The handbook was written within the framework of the Project “OPEN ACADEMIC ELECTRONIC TEXTBOOKS (“KALLIPOS+”)”. The KALLIPOS+ Project is funded by the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs and is implemented by the Special Account for Research Funds of the National Technical University of Athens (“ELKE EMP”) and the Hellenic Academic Libraries Link (“SEAB”).

team: C. Christodoulou, A. Vartholomaios and M. Oikonomou. Linguistic and graphic editor: C. Lekka

when: 2021-2024

publication:

Christodoulou, C., Vartholomaios, A., & Oikonomou, M. (2024). Sustainable (?) Urban Design [Laboratory Guide]. Kallipos, Open Academic Editions. online