A History of Urbanism in Europe

A sound understanding of how our built environment came about constitutes a core competence in any architectural training and professional experience. The history of urbanism on the European continent, in particular, constitutes a fundamental basis for thinking about the city today. This textbook offers a synthetic, chronological and illustrated overview of the essential ideas, protagonists and paradigms that dominated the theory and practice of urbanism on the European continent from Antiquity to the present day. It is conceived as a series of modules, each covering a distinctive period, discussing the general cultural context and illustrating key planning concepts, patterns and typologies by means of case studies and information boxes. Directly derived from the authors’ longstanding research and teaching practice, this book gives a critical and contemporary perspective on the established canon and stimulates innovative pedagogic approaches. The dynamic and expandable digital learning environment includes case studies, additional information and audiovisual illustrations. 

SERGIO M. FIGUEIREDO is architect, author, curator and historian. He is assistant professor of architecture history and theory at TU Eindhoven (TU/e), where he teaches survey courses and discussion seminars on the history of architecture and urbanism. At TU/e, he is also the coordinator for the research seminars on architecture and urbanism, as well as the director of the research group Curatorial Research Collective (CRC). His work focuses on architectural institutions and exhibitions, particularly how they shape (and are shaped by) architectural culture. 

SVEN STERKEN is professor at the Faculty of Architecture of KU Leuven, where he teaches courses in the history of architecture and urban planning, and coordinates the doctoral training programme. His research investigates how government bodies, religious institutions and private enterprises rely on architecture to claim a presence in the public realm, with a focus on the second half of the 20th century. A recognized expert in built heritage assessment, he regularly collaborates with architecture firms and heritage agencies in the context of adaptive reuse of modern buildings. 

KEES DOEVENDANS was (associate) professor of urban design at TU Eindhoven and KU Leuven. In his teaching and research he focused on the history and theory of urban planning as a scientific discipline. He was visiting scholar at the University of Cambridge (UK) and guest professor at many foreign universities. He published many articles and books and always combined education and research with organizational tasks for the TU/e Faculty of Architecture, as director of education and coordinator of international university partnerships.