How to Design Humane Cities: Public Spaces and Urbanity

This book is about renewing the city with room for people, about historical over­lay and respect for the building tradi­tions of the past, and about new archi­tecture on a human scale.

The book takes its departure in the European tradition of the dense classic city. Focus is on phys­ical and spatial relationships, develop­ment patterns, access principles, and their connection to public streets and squares: the elements that make for a rich urban life. Rooted in European traditions, this book is envisioned as a profession­al “instruction manual” that offers ex­amples of a more humane direction for urban conversion. The examples in the book come from major European cities and are set in a broad conceptual frame­work. A historical outline reviews urban development over time. The chapters are organized into tool­-oriented themes that help urban planners and architects put the concepts into practice and relate them to their respective challenges.

Karsten Pålsson has been an architect for 35 years, working initially with regional, municipal and local planning. For the past 30 years, he has had his own architecture firm with focus on urban redevelopment, infill, restoration, planning and the transformation of housing areas and buildings. Karsten Pålsson works internationally, primarily through teaching collaboration with Latin American Countries, as well as teaching international students in urban renewal and modernization at the Danish Technical University.