Description

Book Synopsis
Why urban design is larger than architecture: the foundational qualities of urban design, examples and practitioners

Urban design in practice is incremental, but architects imagine it as scaled-up architecture—large, ready-to-build pop-up cities. This paradox of urban design is rarely addressed; indeed, urban design as a discipline lacks a theoretical foundation. In The Largest Art, Brent Ryan argues that urban design encompasses more than architecture, and he provides a foundational theory of urban design beyond the architectural scale. In a “declaration of independence” for urban design, Ryan describes urban design as the largest of the building arts, with qualities of its own.

Ryan distinguishes urban design from its sister arts by its pluralism: plural scale, ranging from an alleyway to a region; plural time, because it is deeply enmeshed in both history and the present; plural property, with many owners; plural agents, with many makers; and

The Largest Art A Measured Manifesto for a Plural

    Product form

    £34.85

    Includes FREE delivery

    RRP £41.00 – you save £6.15 (15%)

    Order before 4pm today for delivery by Tue 7 Jul 2026.

    A Hardback by Brent D. Ryan

    10 in stock

      Trusted by thousands of customers. See 2,385+ Customer Reviews

      View other formats and editions of The Largest Art A Measured Manifesto for a Plural by Brent D. Ryan

      Publisher: MIT Press Ltd
      Publication Date: 27/10/2017
      ISBN13: 9780262036672, 978-0262036672
      ISBN10: 0262036673
      Also in:
      Architecture

      Description

      Book Synopsis
      Why urban design is larger than architecture: the foundational qualities of urban design, examples and practitioners

      Urban design in practice is incremental, but architects imagine it as scaled-up architecture—large, ready-to-build pop-up cities. This paradox of urban design is rarely addressed; indeed, urban design as a discipline lacks a theoretical foundation. In The Largest Art, Brent Ryan argues that urban design encompasses more than architecture, and he provides a foundational theory of urban design beyond the architectural scale. In a “declaration of independence” for urban design, Ryan describes urban design as the largest of the building arts, with qualities of its own.

      Ryan distinguishes urban design from its sister arts by its pluralism: plural scale, ranging from an alleyway to a region; plural time, because it is deeply enmeshed in both history and the present; plural property, with many owners; plural agents, with many makers; and

      Recently viewed products

      © 2026 Book Curl

        • American Express
        • Apple Pay
        • Diners Club
        • Discover
        • Google Pay
        • Maestro
        • Mastercard
        • PayPal
        • Shop Pay
        • Union Pay
        • Visa

        Login

        Forgot your password?

        Don't have an account yet?
        Create account