Urban Landscapes

Taking a multidisciplinary approach this addresses the academic and practical issues concerning the present and future of the built environment, arguing for its enlightened management in the future of our present-day environment.
The urban landscape is a cultural asset. It is a major source of aesthetic stimulus, historical knowledge and a principal means of emotional and practical orientation. A great deal of public and private expenditure is concerned directly or indirectly with the creation and maintenance of urban landscapes; research in this area - from historical, geographic, architectural and planning perspectives - is flourishing. The time is now right to integrate this knowledge in order to understand the cyclical processes of adaptation and renewal, different disciplinary and national approaches and the challenges of managing cities as a cultural asset whilst accommodating new forms and functions. "Urban Landscapes" fulfills this need. Taking a multidisciplinary and multinational approach, reflected in its authorship and the urban landscapes discussed, the authors address the principal academic and practical issues concerning the past, present and future of the built environment. They describe the historical development of urban landscapes and the roles of those who shape our cities, and they offer an essential understanding of our present-day environment.