We all have a natural nesting instinct-we know what makes a good place. And a consensus has developed among urban planners and designers about the essential components of healthy, prosperous communities. So why aren't these ideals being put into practice?

In Good Urbanism, Ellin identifies the obstacles to creating thriving environments, and presents a 6-step process to overcome them: prospect, polish, propose, prototype, promote, present. Ellin illustrates the process with ten exemplary projects, from Envision Utah to Open Space Seattle.

For planners, urban designers, community developers, and students of these fields, Ellin's innovative approach offers an inspired, yet concrete path to building good places.

Nan Ellin is Professor of Urbanism, Chair of the Department of City & Metropolitan Planning at the University of Utah, and author of Postmodern Urbanism and Integral Urbanism.

Acknowledgments

1 Introduction

2 Urban Desiderata: A Path toward Prosperity

3 The Tao of Urbanism: Rendering the Latent Manifest and the Possible Inevitable

Case Studies: The High Line, Canalscape

4 Co-Creation: From Egosystem to Ecosystem

Case Studies: Civic Center, Envision Utah, BIMStorm and Onuma System

5 Going with the Flow: The New Design with Nature

Case Studies: Open Space Seattle 2100, The CEDAR Approach, University of Arkansas Community Design Center

6 The Art of Urbanism: A Practice Primer

Case Studies: Sunrise Park, Groundwork

7 From Good to Great Urbanism: Beyond Sustainability to Prosperity

8 Sideways Urbanism: Rotating the Pyramid

9 Conclusion

Appendix A: Themes/Features of Good Urbanism

Appendix B: Good Urbanism Is

Notes

References

Index.