A Farewell to One-Size-Fits-All Urbanism

Like idiomatic phrases that say similar things in a variety of languages, urban environments are customized adaptations to different conditions. Sustaining culture and character is more than a black or white proposition. It requires a careful blend that depends on local circumstances, meticulous research, and self-knowledge.

Whatever our role in managing urban change, we must remain mindful of the underlying context of the place at hand. Place-specific considerations suggest the inadequacy of a “one-size-fits-all” mindset. Priority and process may vary based on ethnicity, national heritage, generation, or profession. It is not just a question of whether “what worked there will work here,” but the existence of different mechanisms for resolving issues of social justice and change.

A wealth of materials-conferences, studies, books, articles, renderings, installations, policies, plans, and regulations-help define the local context and relative role of core issues relating to cities and places. These issues include urban design criteria, town center definition and governance, climate change, social equity, community input, affordability…