Gordon Cullen The Concise Townscape [better] -

In the mid-20th century, as modernist architecture threatened to turn cities into sterile machines of glass and steel, a British architect and illustrator named Gordon Cullen offered a rebellious alternative. He didn't argue for a new style of construction; he argued for a new way of seeing.

He famously critiqued the coldness of modernist housing blocks, noting that while they might be efficient at housing people, they often failed to house the human spirit. He believed that townscape should be an art form—a stage set for human life. gordon cullen the concise townscape

Perhaps the most poignant section of Cullen's work is his discussion on "Atmosphere." In an era obsessed with efficiency, Cullen dared to talk about sentiment. He wrote about the "sadness" of a slum, the "grandeur" of a civic center, and the "intimacy" of a back alley. He believed that townscape should be an art