Cities expand, upwards and outwards, and their physical structure can last a very long time, not just tens but hundreds of years. Nevertheless, they are rarely designed for expansion. Their layout does not allow for extension or for the retrofitting of infrastructure and can constrain, and often prevent, the growth and change of activities within them - cities are not 'robust' in their design. In other words, change is not planned for but involves costly reconstruction.
The Robust City argues that a robust, expandable and sustainable urban form can be deduced from planning goals. Development should not just follow public transport corridors but should not be allowed beyond walking distance from them. This would create 'green enclaves' that would permit not only recreational access but also the retrofitting of infrastructure and the efficient circulation of motor vehicles. The same principles could also be applied within neighbourhoods and to facilitate the rational handling of urban intensification.
Preface, Introduction, 1. The Persistence of Form, 2. What Shall We Do with the Private Motor Vehicle? 3. Cities Have Not Been Designed for Expansion, 4. Deriving Form A Goal-Driven Approach, 5. Deriving Form A Robust Typology, 6. Beads on a String, 7. A Model for a New City, 8. Application to City Expansion and Intensification, 9. Implications for Development Plans, Conclusion
This is an important, challenging and fascinat­ing book. In nine chapters spread over 165 pages Tony Hall provides a template for how growing cities could be planned and re-designed in a more effective way than at present. [T]he author devel­ops a sophisticated argument with impeccable logic in making a persuasive case for change in the philosophical basis of dealing with expanding cities and improving our capacity to deal with such expansion.
Michael Barke, Department of Gel³.
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