Product Description

Smart Growth advocates, environmentalists, and New Urbanists have all tried in their own ways to spread the message of reforming current land use patterns. Their solutions are often criticized for being overly prescriptive, opposed to growth, or nostalgic. Suburban Transformations offers an alternative to these practices while synthesizing many of the ideas and proposals that they put forth. Both a work of theory and a practical tool for suburban community planning, the book introduces the adaptive design process: a method that allows for the organic transformation of communities from siteless suburbs and edge cities into places with their own distinct identity and unique character.

Five case studies provide fully expressed examples of the process, beginning with a sophisticated system of mapping and culminating in computer projections of likely future outcomes, giving the designer the ability to project changes in the community fabric and adding that knowledge to the designer's kit of place-making tools.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #36488 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

Review
Suburban Transformations is a strong book. Although it leans towards the conceptual, its focus on mapping real conditions and using them towards the development of meaningful design proposals that give identity to placeless locations gives it a grounding uncommon to such books. The processes described and tools given are clearly described and readily accessible all those who read it... Suburban Transformations follows through on giving its readers a means of finding and enhancing the particular aspects that make our suburbs unique and showing us how they can be used to create places with meaningful identities. All those interested in what the future can hold for our edge cities, or who want to contribute to their transformation, should read this book. --Re:Place, July 2008

Suburban Transformations takes a look at what has gone wrong with suburban development and how it can be reversed. The author's research focuses on how to work with what already is built, the natural landscape and community characteristics to turn poorly designed suburbs into livable, sustainable communities with character and identity. Paul Lukez's method integrates multiple paths for future planned development while remaining flexible, depending on a community's desired focus. --Eco-Newsletter, July 2008

About the Author
The founder of Paul Lukez Architecture and Transform X, Paul Lukez has worked in the fields of architecture and urban design since 1978. A graduate of MIT, he is the recipient of academic and professional honors. He has also taught architectural design at MIT and numerous other universities, and lectures regularly throughout the US, Europe and Asia.

Customer Reviews

The Fourth Dimension in Urban Design
Paul Lukez's unique approach to city design is for inter-connective vertical and horizontal evolution of increasing city densities. This is a comprehensive sustainable strategy for social and environmental humane urban environments. Lukez's perspective drawings demonstrate a three dimensional utilitarian and aesthetic response for urban growth that exceeds projected plan; the addition of space-time strategies elicits the fourth dimension in urban design.

Extraordinary typology & process for suburban retrofitting
A step-by-step procedure, beautifully visualized and mapped, for remaking suburban built environments. Augumented by case studies. A rare combination of creativity and precision focused on a critical problem. Bravo!

Suggests ways to make our suburbs better
I like this book because it suggests ways that we can make our suburbs better places to live. I really like books that tell us about how we can improve the status quo, and/or about better alternatives to the status quo, and/or about solutions to problems. I would really like all of North America's suburbs to become pedestrian-friendly, like small towns surrounding each big city.