Transect Urbanism

Transect Urbanism: Readings in Human Ecology is the definitive reference on the Rural-to-Urban Transect, a compilation of the most important images, diagrams, and essays on the subject. It provides historical, practical, and theoretical insights into one of the most effective urban planning methodologies developed in the 20th Century. The Transect is a unifying theory, serving as a framework for the various fields of urban design. The editors selected the most important previously published essays and commissioned preeminent academics and professionals to write on the use of the Transect in their areas of expertise, including retail, zoning, thoroughfare design, environmental sustainability, and philosophy. As diagrams and drawings are essential to the understanding and use of the Transect, this book also contains the most complete collection of Transect images ever published. Transect Urbanism will serve as a primary reference source for academics, students, and practitioners interested in creating great places.
Brian Falk is the Director of the Center for Applied Transect Studies. He was a contributing editor of the Sprawl Repair Manual and manages the Project for Lean Urbanism, which is dedicated to making it possible for more people to participate in building their homes, businesses, and communities. He was a co-author of numerous papers, tools, and book chapters on Lean Urbanism as well as the editor of a series of position papers and case studies. The nonprofit Center for Applied Transect Studies supports interdisciplinary research, publication, and tools for the design, coding, building and documentation of resilient Transect-based communities. It has supported the publication of numerous essays, papers, and books, including The Architecture of Community, The Smart Growth Manual, the Sprawl Repair Manual, The Language of Towns and Cities, Visions of Seaside, and The New Pioneers.
Andr�s Duany is the author of numerous essays and articles and co-author of several books, including Suburban Nation: the Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream, The Smart Growth Manual, Garden Cities: Agricultural Urbanism, and The New Civic Art. His work has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Richard H. Driehaus Prize, the Jefferson Medal, The Vincent Scully Prize and several honorary doctorates. He is a co-founder of DPZ CoDesign, which has been a leader in planning, urban design, and architecture for more than 30 years, as well as a co-founder of the Congress for the New Urbanism.
Transect Urbanism: Readings in Human Ecology, describes itself as "The definitive reference on the Rural-to-Urban Transect." Edited by Andres Duany and Brian Falk, the book fills a gap in the planning literature. The Rural-to-Urban Transect--which I will refer to as Transect with a capital T--is one of the most influential planning theories in recent decades.

Prior to this, no books have been devoted entirely to the Transect--although many have touched upon it (I included sections in New Urbanism: Best Practices Guide). Published by Oro Editions and the Center for Applied Transect Studies, Transect Urbanism comprises eight new essays, 100 pages of images--many fascinating and some amusing--by artists and designers, and six of the best previously published academic articles on the topic. An excellent two-part introduction by Duany--Transect co-creator and an architect and planner with DPZ CoDESIGN--is worth the price of the book.--ROBERT STEUTEVILLE "Public Square: A CNU Journal"
"Fairly regularly, but not often enough, I ask myself, 'What has Andr�s been up to lately?' The answer to that question is always worth at least a year in grad school. This masterwork is no exception, offering a long-awaited and much-needed deep-dive into the Transect and its potential uses in city planning and beyond. If you are serious about urban design, you need this book." - Jeff Speck, author, Walkable City
"Imagine a tool that banishes the social and environmental ills of modern planning and its corresponding theory of suburban sprawl, instead constructing an approach that reconciles urbanism and environmentalism. Meanwhile, the tool also enables choice and equity in how and where individuals live. Architect, urban designer, and DPZ CoDesign principal Andr�s Duany insists such a tool exists. It's the Rural-to-Urban Transect, at once a tool and a theory, and it's a balm to the recklessly sprawling modern life now ubiquitous across the U.S., which takes the form of socio-economic uniformity, automobile dependence, and conspicuous land consumption." - Grace Mitchell Tada, Associate ASLA, Hood Design Studio, writing in THE DIRT
"The Transect Urbanism primer is for the understanding and planning of human settlements what The Origin of Species was for creation narratives." - Leon Krier
"Understanding the Transect is like knowing the DNA code for human habitat. Transect Urbanism is a must-read for city-builders." - Charles Marohn, founder, Strong Towns; author, Strong Towns: A Bottom-Up Revolution to Rebuild American Prosperity
Imagine a tool that banishes the social and environmental ills of modern planning and its corresponding theory of suburban sprawl, instead constructing an approach that reconciles urbanism and environmentalism. Meanwhile, the tool also enables choice and equity in how and where individuals live. Architect, urban designer, and DPZ CoDesign principal Andr�s Duany insists such a tool exists. It's the Rural-to-Urban Transect, at once a tool and a theory, and it's a balm to the recklessly sprawling modern life now ubiquitous across the U.S., which takes the form of socio-economic uniformity, automobile dependence, and conspicuous land consumption. The book Transect Urbanism: Readings in Human Ecology, edited by Duany and Brian Falk, who is director of the Center for Applied Transect Studies, presents a collection of essays and descriptive graphics that examine the Rural-to-Urban Transect and explains its potential to create both a better quality of life within communities and better environmental practices across all scales.