Architectural Design and Regulation

Reviews / Votes

"These are minor points about an excellent andground-breaking book, which will be essential reading for thoseresearching architectural practice, regulation, design professionsand planning, and also for those with an interest in discourses ofcreativity and cultural production. Architectural design andregulation contributes much to our understanding of the practicesand situated knowledges of architects vis-à-vis regulation andso in turn about the ways in which the urban fabric isshaped." (Area, 15 August 2013)'Our discipline has [in this book] received a gift fromoutside the tacit values embodied in what we architects refer to as'studio culture'. We can, of course, dismiss thecritique and ignore the opportunity presented by the authors if weso choose. But if the entrenched architects of my generation do, Iam confident that the next generation of city-makers will notbecause, like Imrie and Street, they already glimpse the creativepotential of interdisciplinary invention.' - Steven A.Moore, Bartlett Cocke Regents Professor of Architecture andPlanning, School of Architecture, The University of Texas atAustin 'It often takes outsiders to point out what insiders havemissed or chosen to ignore about themselves. Such revelations areexactly what geographers Imrie and Street bring to the disciplineof architecture. The book is an assiduously researcheddocumentation of the way the architects have responded to theincreasing regulatory frameworks with a mixture of denial, boredom,resignation and fury - when in fact, the authors show, theway forward is to work with rather than against the frameworks in amanner that is at the same time creative and realist.' -Professor Jeremy Till, Dean of the School of Architecture andthe Built Environment, University of Westminster Imrie and Street have produced a vital text that opens up a newperspective on architectural practice and regulation as aco-evolutionary process of code-making that is reshaping the citieswe inhabit. By highlighting the complex social organisation ofthese processes, the book opens up a new window on the materialityof design creativity and the politics enacted through regulatoryinterventions.' - Professor Simon Guy, Director ofManchester Architecture Research Centre (MARC), Head of School ofEnvironment and Development, The University of Manchester Architectural Design and Regulation is an insightful tourde force. It provides a much needed critical examination of theexiting regulatory paradigm while bringing together theory,practice and a vision for change. The implications ofregulations on urban development are little appreciated and rarelydiscussed. Yet, across the globe, communities are shaped bycodes and regulations that virtually dictate all aspects of urbandevelopment. Regulations define how places can andcan't be developed, and how controls shape thephysical space and buildings where we live and work. Bycritically assessing the impacts of design regulations on thespatial and social quality of our built environment Rob Imrie andEmma Street offer a unique analysis and practicalsuggestions. It is a must-read for anyone who is seriousabout understanding current urban development and architecturepractice. - Eran Ben-Joseph, Professor at the MassachusettsInstitute of Technology and the author of the Code of the City:Standards and the Hidden Language of Place Making