This book is a collection of recent PhD papers from the Department of Urbanism, TU Delft. Urbanism is the academic discipline concerned with understanding the spatial organisation and dynamics of urban areas. The quality of the urban environment is a determining factor in the social, economic and environmental performance of societies and the life of citizens. The TU Delft Department of Urbanism seeks to influence the processes of urban change and transformation through explicit design and planning interventions, underpinning practical action to shape the urban environment in a sustainable way. The strong tradition of urbanism in the delta of the Netherlands is a strong factor influencing this major contribution to knowledge and education in the field. Further developments which build on this experience are necessary to address the great challenges of sustainable development, not least with regard to the problems of climate change in delta areas, transformation of brownfield sites and the making of high-quality public space. Of interest to all those committed to building a better urban environment, some of the topics covered in this book include: adaptive environments for human habitats, searching for good urban form, mixed use index (MXI) as a tool for urban planning and analysis and pattern formation in planned urban peripheries.
