Planning and Place in the City: Mapping Place identity

Under the influence of globalisation, the centres of many urban conglomerations in the industrialised world are losing their place identity, the set of cultural markers that define a city's uniqueness and make it instantly recognisable. It is precisely such issues as the preservation, reconstruction and enhancement of place identity that are covered in the book PLANNING THE CITY: MAPPING PLACE IDENTITY. Definition of the field of investigation and the historical theories on placemaking, and the present-day method of analysis and design of places constitutes the scientific and cultural background to this work. Using the original survey-based method called PlaceMaker, the author detects elements that do not feature in traditional mapping and identifies appropriate planning interventions. The case studies investigate urban areas in Europe -Rome, Barcelona, London, Helsinki-, North America - Los Angeles and San Francisco - and Asia - Japan- , which are highly representative of the cities in which they are located. Through these case studies the author demonstrates how surveys and interviews can be used to draw up an analytical map of place identity. This is a necessary step in identifying cultural elements for designing future urban interventions which are represented in the complex project map. The maps aim to establish a dialogue with local residents and support planners and administrators in their efforts at identity promotion and in making sustainable changes to the city in question. The experiments are amply illustrated with survey data sheets, photos, prospects and colored maps. Furthermore, the book illustrates a new software tool to support the construction of interactive and multimedia maps of analysis and design. The hallmarks of this book stands on the strong interest of the case studies, developed using the new PlaceMaker method, as well as the topicality of the treated themes and the multidisciplinary nature of the approach. This innovative, broad-based approach to the preservation of place identity opens the book to a particularly wide readership.