The Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence (RBA) documents and shares its findings with a variety of publications. These include case studies, lessons learned essays, and books produced in conjunction with the biennial award and published online and in print form. They also include articles and papers written by and about the RBA for professional conferences and journals that highlight and share insights from the award and more than 30 years of investigation into urban excellence. Blog posts offer additional perspectives from RBA site visits and award events, public programs, and interviews with leading design and development leaders.
This book focuses on the importance of place and the multifaceted process of placemaking to the creation of durable and meaningful urban environments. It features international thought leaders, judiciously curated and convened across disciplines, cultures, and viewpoints to debate their perspectives on the merits and challenges of place and placemaking. Chapters investigate the tenor, timeliness, and tensions of place, and how we envision, co-create, and communicate place with colleagues, citizens, and critics. Stemming from the first Rudy Bruner Debate on Urban Excellence, chapter authors expressly present their experience, insights, and questions on place and placemaking, inspiring critical reflection and action in the world that surrounds us. This book will be of interest to students and practitioners in urban planning, urban design, real estate, architecture, and landscape architecture and to urban advocates and civic leaders.
