In the era of the Anthropocene, site matters are more pressing than ever. Building on the concepts, theories, and multi-disciplinary approaches raised in the first edition, this publication strives to address the changes that have taken place over the last 15 years with new material to complement and re-position the initial volume.
Reaching across design disciplines, this highly illustrated anthology assembles essays from architects, landscape architects, urban designers, planners, historians, and artists to explore ways to physically and conceptually engage site. Thoughtful discourse and empirically grounded pieces combine to provide the language and theory to contextualize the meanings of site in the built environment. The increasingly complex hybridity of constructed environments today demands new tools for thinking about and working with site. Drawing contributions from outside and within the traditional design disciplines, this edition will trace important developments in site thinking with new essays on topics such as climate change, landscape as infrastructure, shifts from global to planetary urbanization debates, and the proliferation of participatory site transformation practices.
Edited by two leading practitioners and academics, Site Matters juxtaposes timeless contributions from individuals including Elizabeth Meyer, Robert Beauregard, and Robin Dripps with original new writings from Peter Marcuse, Jane Wolff, Neil Brenner, and Thaisa Way, amongst others, to recontextualize and reignite the debate around site. An ideal text for students, academics, and researchers interested in site and design theory.
Author Biography:
Andrea Kahn is a professor of site thinking in research and practice at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Alnarp/Malmö, where she facilitates SLU Landscape, a research and teaching collaboration initiative. She is also the founder of designCONTENT, a consultancy offering strategic and communicative process support for complex design, planning, research, writing, curatorial and editorial projects. She has taught urban design, planning, and landscape extensively in the United States, Europe, and Australia. Her current research interest revolves around collaboration, communication, and synthetic, transdisciplinary knowledge creation.
Carol J. Burns, FAIA, an educator and principal with Taylor & Burns Architects, has taught at Harvard GSD, MIT, UVA, Yale, and Wentworth Institute of Technology. She pioneered the founding of the AIA Women’s Leadership Summit, as well as the BSA Research Grants program, which spurred the AIA Upjohn and Small Project grant programs. Her research has resulted in books, articles, competitions, and design studios. Integrating education and practice within a culture of research, she has with her firm designed buildings, spaces, and theoretical projects recognized with awards, including the national Honor Award for Excellence from the Society of College and University Planners.
