The Art of City Design

The city is, first and foremost, an experience. It’s made of architecture, but the experience goes beyond the expression of each individual building forming a collage of images created by the work of many over time. In the book Frank Wolden presents 35 years of work illustrating the evolution of his ideas on the art of city design. The projects presented range from creative infill in downtown San Diego to visionary master plans for cities across the globe. Frank’s design philosophy starts with a creative view of the city where everything from background buildings to iconic super stars are part of a larger urban experience. At the core of his design approach is the breakdown of the architectural object into smaller parts and pieces that connect with the surrounding urban context and result in a human scale experience. Beyond response to context is a search for ideas that drive design, Frank’s background in fine art inspires a fusion of art, architecture, and urban design focused on the design of places that promote creative experiences and enrich urban life. The Art of City Design illustrates Frank Wolden’s philosophy on urban architecture through the presentation of 21 high profile projects from San Diego to Shanghai China.