Urbanism Without Effort : Reconnecting with First Principles of the City

A leader in urban planning draws inspiration from the world’s best “unplanned” places.

How do you create inviting and authentic urban environments where people feel at home? Countless communityengagement workshops, studies by consulting firms, and downtown revitalization campaigns have attempted to answerthis age-old question. In Urbanism Without Effort, Chuck Wolfe argues that “unplanned” places can often teach us moreabout great placemaking than planned ones. From impromptu movie nights in a Seattle alley to the adapted reuse of Diocletian’s Palace in Split, Croatia, Wolfesearches for the “first principles” of what makes humans feel happy and safe amid the hustle and bustle of urban life. Hehighlights the common elements of cities around the world that spontaneously bring people together: being inherentlywalkable, factors that contribute to safety at night, the importance of intersections and corners, and more. In this age ofskyrocketing metropolitan growth, he argues, looking to the past might be our best approach to creating the urban future we dream about. A whirlwind global tour, Urbanism Without Effort offers readers inspiration, historical context, and a betterunderstanding of how an inviting urban environment is created.