Landscape Urbanism and its Discontents：Dissimulating the Sustainable City

IncontemporaryWesternsociety,urbandevelopmentisregardedasanunfortunateblightfromwhichnatureprovidesamuch-neededrespite.Thisapparentdichotomyignorestheinterdependencebetweenhumansettlementandthenaturalworld.Infact,oneofthemostpressingproblemsfacingurbantheoriststodayisdetermininghowtoresolvethetensionbetweenthebuiltandnaturalenvironments,intheprocesscreatingtrulysustainablecities."LandscapeUrbanismanditsDiscontents"isacollectionofessaysexploringthedebateoverurbanreform,nowpolarizedaroundthetwocompetingparadigmsofLandscapeUrbanismandtheNewUrbanism.LandscapeUrbanismisconceivedasamoreecologicallybasedapproach,whileNewUrbanismismoreconcernedwiththebuiltform.Well-knownandinfluentialurbantheoristssuchasAndresDuanyandJamesHowardKunstlerdelveintotheimpactofthetensionbetweenthetwoperspectiveson:SmartgrowthNeighborhooddesignSustainabledevelopmentCreatingcitiesthatareinbalancewithnatureWhilethereissignificantoverlapbetweenLandscapeUrbanismandtheNewUrbanism,theformerhasassumedprominenceamongstmostcriticaltheorists,whereasthelatter'sproponentsaremorepracticallyoriented.Giventhatthesetwosetsofideasareattheforefrontofsustainableurbandesign,theanalysis-andpotentialreconciliation--offeredby"LandscapeUrbanismanditsDiscontents"islongoverdue.AndresDuanyisaleadingproponentoftheNewUrbanismandisafoundingprincipalatDuanyPlater-Zyberk&Company.EmilyTalenisaprofessoratArizonaStateUniversityandtheauthoroffourpreviousbooksonurbandesign.