The Art of Classic Planning, Nir Haim Buras

In this book, Nir Haim Buras, experienced architect and urban planner, goes back to the roots of what makes cities attractive and liveable, and shows how we can restore function and beauty to our urban spaces for the long term. Almost everything we cherish in the world’s most beautiful cities was built more than a century ago. Cities like Prague, Paris and Lisbon attract millions of visitors from around the world for their exquisite architecture, walkable neighbourhoods and human scale. Yet much of the knowledge and practice behind successful city planning has been abandoned in the last hundred years – not because of traffic, population growth or other practical obstacles, but because of ill-conceived theories that emerged from Modernism and its reactions. The mistakes made in urban design in the last century are too great not to be questioned. The solutions offered today – sustainability, walkability, smart and green technologies – indicate what has been lost and what can be regained, but they remain fragmentary and superficial. In The Art of Classic Planning, architect and planner Nir Haim Buras documents and expands on the tried and true practices that prevailed before Modernism. With hundreds of full-color illustrations and photographs that will captivate architects, planners, administrators, and developers, The Art of Classic Planning restores and revitalizes the foundations of urban planning.