In this brief, accessible volume, the authors — an urban philosopher and a mathematician-physicist — explain the surprising new findings from the sciences that are beginning to transform environmental design in the modern era. Authors Michael Mehaffy and Nikos Salingaros explore fractals, networks, self-organization, dynamical systems and other revolutionary ideas, describing them to non-science readers in a direct and engaging way. The book also examines fascinating new topics of design, including Agile, Wiki, Design Patterns and other “open-source” approaches from the software world. The authors conclude that a profound transformation is under way in modern design — and today’s students and practitioners will need to be aware of its implications for our future.

 Chapter Acknowledgements 5          
  Preface 8          
  Introduction 10          
 

PART I: Toward Resilient Architectures

17          
Ch 01. Biology Lessons 18   IT  PT    GR
Ch 02. Why Green Often Isn’t 29   IT  PT  ES  
Ch 03. How Modernism Got Square 39   IT       
Ch 04. The Geometry of Resilience 50          
Ch 05. Agile Design 61          
 

PART II: Science for Designers

75          
Ch 06. Scaling and Fractals 76          
Ch 07. Intelligence and the Information Environment 86          
Ch 08. The Meaning of Complexity 93      PT    
Ch 09. The Transformation of Wholes 101          
Ch 10. Complex Adaptive Systems 111          
 

PART III: Frontiers of Design Science

123          
Ch 11. Evidence-­‐Based Design 124          
Ch 12. Biophilia 131          
Ch 13. Self-­‐Organization 138          
Ch 14. The Network City 147          
Ch 15. Computational Irreducibility 156          
 

PART IV: The Remarkable Technology of Christopher Alexander

165          
Ch 16. Alexander’s Radical Technology 166          
Ch 17. Alexander’s Sustainable Technology 175    IT PT     
Ch 18. Alexander’s Pattern Technology 180          
Ch 19. Alexander’s Living Technology 188          
Ch 20. Alexander’s Wholeness-­‐Generating Technology 198          
 

Conclusion: The Inexorable Transformation

209          
 

Appendices

215          
  The Fraudulent Evolution from Artisan to Industrial. — Appendix to Chapter 3 216     PT     
  “On Exactitude in Science”, by Jorge Luis Borges. — Appendix to Chapter 15 221     PT     
 

References

224          
  Authors’ Biographies 229          
  Dates of Original Publication 230          
  Index 232