Design for a Living Planet

In this brief, accessible volume, the authors -- an urban philosopher and a mathematician-physicist -- explain the surprising new findings from the sciences that are beginning to transform environmental design in the modern era. Authors Michael Mehaffy and Nikos Salingaros explore fractals, networks, self-organization, dynamical systems and other revolutionary ideas, describing them to non-science readers in a direct and engaging way. The book also examines fascinating new topics of design, including Agile, Wiki, Design Patterns and other 'open-source' approaches from the software world. The authors conclude that a profound transformation is under way in modern design -- and today's students and practitioners will need to be aware of its implications for our future.

"Lucidly describes what's coming in the world of design -- and what needs to come."
-- Ward Cunningham, Inventor of wiki, and pioneer of Pattern Languages of Programming, Agile, and Scrum

"Essential reading for all urban designers."
-- Jeff Speck, Author of Walkable City

"Brilliant."
-- Charles Montgomery, Author of Happy City

"Inspired, compelling and fascinating... Recognizes that a true architecture can be dug from the facts, insights, and theories, that occur with a broadening of science to include the human being."
-- Christopher Alexander, Author of A Pattern Language and Notes on the Synthesis of Form

Some comments on the individual chapters:

"Packed with detail and beautiful in presentation."
-- Gil Friend

"Human society must find a path of retreat. Salingaros and Mehaffy point the way."
-- David Brussat, Providence Journal

"Michael Mehaffy and Nikos Salingaros have written some brilliant articles on how we can co-create cities which are truly resilient, rather than being &slquo;engineered resilient'."
-- Smallworld Urbanism

"For me, this essay was like a flash of insight, and I suddenly saw the world in a new light."
-- Oeyvind Holmstad, Permaliv

"We've just come across a very thoughtful article by Michael Mehaffy and Nikos Salingaros... [who] draw a number of lessons from biological systems and use them to draw conclusions about how resilient human systems must be designed."
-- Resilient Design Institute

"Salingaros and Mehaffy take us from the configuration of city spaces to the order of cells in living beings."
-- Jaap Dawson, Delft Institute of Technology

"If you wanted to know where the cutting edge was in urban design, it is here."
-- Patrick J. Kennedy, CarFreeInBigD

"This is the single most intelligent and illuminating article I've seen on Archdaily in 3 years."
-- Nìming Pínglùn Zhe, China