Urban Planning (ISSN: 2183–7635)

2023, Volume 8, Issue 4, Pages X–X

https://doi.org/10.17645/up.v8i4.7832

Book Review
A Review of The Routledge Handbook of Urban Design Research Methods
Aminreza Iranmanesh

Faculty of Architecture and Fine Arts, Final International University, Turkey; [email protected]

Submitted: 9 November 2023 | Accepted: 17 November 2023 | Published: in press

Abstract
This book review critically examines The Routledge Handbook of Urban Design Research Methods, edited by Hesam
Kamalipour, Patricia Aelbrecht, and Nastaran Peimani (2023, 1st edition). The book offers an extensive exploration of urban
design research, organized under five thematic parts: “agency,” “affordance,” “place,” “informality,” and “performance.”
Each part delves into the complexities and nuances of urban design research, integrating a diverse range of methodologies
and case studies from different perspectives. This review explores the book’s comprehensive approach, noting its efforts
to combine theoretical frameworks with methodological insights and its inclusion of a wide range of topics while highlight‐
ing the book’s strengths in addressing current issues in urban design research. The review maintains a critical approach,
providing a balanced overview of the book’s contribution to urban design literature.

Keywords
affordance; agency; handbook; informality; methodology; performance; place; research methods; urban design

Issue
This book review is part of the issue “Between the “Structural” and the “Everyday”: Bridging Macro and Micro Perspectives
in Comparative Urban Research” edited by Sophie Schramm (TU Dortmund) and Nadine Appelhans (TU Berlin).

© 2023 by the author(s); licensee Cogitatio Press (Lisbon, Portugal). This book review is licensed under a Creative Com‐
mons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY).

Being involved in scholarship, teaching, and practice of possibilities and potentials for advancing urban design
urban design, I have often been tasked with recommend‐ as an emerging field in the “process of becoming”
ing a comprehensive methodological overview to col‐ (Kamalipour et al., 2023b, p. 1). The importance of this
leagues and students alike. This need arises from the book emerges from the growing and dynamic nature of
interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary nature of urban urban design, a field becoming increasingly complex to
discourse, which encompasses a wide range of spa‐ fully comprehend. This complexity may incite a persis‐
tial, social, economic, cultural, environmental, and other tent yet unproductive search for causality. Many seek
dimensions, each with myriad methodological and the‐ to pinpoint the origins of various issues, neglecting the
oretical approaches. Consequently, sources offering a fact that urban problems are part of an intricate, inter‐
comprehensive overview of urban design research and connected web that calls for more sophisticated and
the related methods are scarce, making it especially chal‐ adaptive solutions. The central issue is not the absence
lenging for students, emerging academics, and practi‐ of theories, but rather the lack of an encompassing
tioners to delve into urban design studies. Kamalipour framework that effectively unites theory and practice.
et al. (2023a) have undertaken a challenging endeavour The evolution of urban design into a specialised field,
to address some of these gaps in their edited handbook. characterised by distinct expertise and an emphasis on
Urban design faces challenges in making connections research, underscores the pressing need for collabora‐
between theory and practice while integrating studies tive initiatives to navigate its complexities. This hand‐
from both the Global North and South. This handbook book, crafted in response to urban design’s continuous
aims to address these challenges through the collabora‐ evolution and emerging challenges, serves as a primary
tion of notable scholars from around the globe aiming resource to unravel and address these intricate issues.
to explore possibilities for enhancing urban design’s the‐ Rejecting a linear, hierarchical format, the book
oretical and methodological foundations. From this per‐ offers a creative layout, enabling readers to directly
spective, the underlying theme of the book is exploring access chapters related to their research area, while also

Urban Planning, 2023, Volume 8, Issue 4, Pages X–X 1

exploring broader topics, methodologies, challenges, tions. As discussed in some of the chapters, mapping
ethics, data collection methods, and visualisation tech‐ techniques are particularly critical in exploring cities and
niques. Each chapter—in most cases—provides a brief contexts where official data is lacking, not publicly avail‐
introduction to the author(s)’ works and journeys in able, or unreliable.
relation to urban design research and/or practice, fol‐ Several chapters in part two stand out for their
lowed by an overview of the studied topic, and then innovative approaches. They explore a variety of urban
draws on case studies, previous works, or explorations. experiences, from cognitive mapping of childhood urban
This handbook is based on a core principle that urban experiences, investigating urban spaces as venues for
design research is rooted in inquiry, emphasising the inte‐ play and social exchange, the application of body lan‐
gral link between research questions, design, method‐ guage analysis in urban design, and mapping urban tran‐
ologies, and outcomes. The handbook is divided into sit morphologies to the spatial possibilities for negoti‐
five thematic parts: “agency” (10 chapters), “affor‐ ation in refugee camps and the feminist co‐production
dance” (9 chapters), “place” (11 chapters), “informal‐ methods in urban design. One particularly notable chap‐
ity” (10 chapters), and “performance” (12 chapters). ter that caught my eye was “Putting People in Place” by
In this review, I will attempt to succinctly detail the focus Shilpa Ranade and Shilpa Phadke. They use urban map‐
of each part and some chapters that I found particu‐ ping to delve into gendered perceptions and their impact
larly interesting. on space usage. Their study highlights the broader
The first part of the book, centred on the theme potentials of mapping in uncovering hidden narratives
of “agency”, offers a multi‐faceted exploration of how and affordances in urban design. The chapters in this
urban spaces are designed, developed, managed, and part collectively enhance our understanding of how
by/for whom. Throughout the chapters, the idea of urban design can be a powerful tool in uncovering
agency has been explored through the perspectives of and harnessing the hidden potentials and capacities of
individual and collective action, design and planning, urban spaces.
empowerment and participation, socio‐political, anthro‐ Part three is centred around the notion of “place”
pological, stakeholders, and spatial agency/agencies. as a central discourse of urban design, examining how
Matthew Carmona’s chapter, “Researching Urban Design places are created, deconstructed, and reconstructed
Governance,” initiates the discussion, delving into across various scales and settings. This part explores
ways of exploring regulatory and organisational struc‐ place as a complex, multilayered, dynamic, and ongoing
tures steering urban design. Ali Madanipour’s chapter, phenomenon, not frozen in time, and thus not entirely
“Dynamic Multiplicity,” then widens the lens, discussing comprehensible through deductive processes focused
the varying contexts, perspectives, and timeframes influ‐ on individual elements. Through this perspective, place
encing urban environments. This part then expands to is a dynamic and emerging concept that cannot be sep‐
analyse how diverse contexts, perspectives, and tempo‐ arated from other themes of the book. This part opens
ral factors play a pivotal role in shaping urban environ‐ with Kim Dovey’s chapter, “From Place to Assemblage,”
ments. It also puts emphasis on the narrative elements highlighting the importance of asking the right question.
of urban design and addresses more complex topics like Dovey looks at urban space through the lens of assem‐
the impact of urban design activism in housing markets blage, which seems in line with the broader framing of
and the role of financial forces in neoliberal urban envi‐ the handbook. This part examines the intricate layers of
ronments. It presents original perspectives rooted in “place,” stretching from the tangible aspects of morphol‐
anthropology, shedding light on urban design method‐ ogy and soundscapes to the more intangible realms of
ologies within diverse cultural and geographical settings. memory, attachment, and identity. It highlights the diver‐
The importance of communal approaches, collaboration, sity of methodologies and approaches used in studying
and collective engagement and their role in the creation urban spaces, advocating for a more nuanced under‐
and management of urban spaces are among the com‐ standing that incorporates multiple dimensions. The con‐
mon issues highlighted by the authors in this part. tributions in this section reveal the deep, often unex‐
The second part of the book focuses on the con‐ plored connections between urban design, placemaking,
cept of “affordance” represented via the inherent poten‐ and the diverse experiences and perceptions that shape
tial and functionalities of urban spaces, especially in our understanding of urban spaces.
terms of how the built environment can either enable or In part four, the theme of developing a deeper
restrict different types of use and interaction. The con‐ understanding of “informality” is presented as crucial
cept of “affordance,” originating from the field of eco‐ for shaping more nuanced urban design theories and
logical psychology, was first introduced by Gibson (1979). methods. This part begins with Vinit Mukhija’s chap‐
The reflection and adaptation of the term “affordance” in ter, “The Spatial Form and Built Environment of Urban
urban design research has been explored from a variety Informality,” which explores urban informality in cities of
of perspectives in this book. The contributions in this part the Global North. This contrasts with the general trend
employ a diverse array of data collection methods includ‐ in urban informality literature that primarily focuses
ing mental mapping, photography, videography, sketch‐ on the Global South. This deliberate choice for open‐
ing, surveys, and social, spatial, and temporal observa‐ ing a chapter into “informality” fights against assuming

Urban Planning, 2023, Volume 8, Issue 4, Pages X–X 2

the Global South as the only place of “informality” and In conclusion, this insightful volume puts a spotlight
the common conflation of “informality” with poverty. on the evolving landscape of urban design research,
In this part, a variety of research methods and map‐ presenting a collection of methodologies, perspectives,
ping techniques have been employed. Data collection and explorations from notable scholars across the globe.
has always been a challenging endeavour in exploring Each chapter serves as a testament to the complexity
urban informalities, as they are often overlooked by the and dynamism inherent in urban spaces, challenging
governing bodies and lack proper representation in the readers to think beyond conventional boundaries and
official datasets. Several data collection methods are engage with the multifaceted dimensions of “agency,”
also explored, including historical satellite imagery, pho‐ “affordance,” “place,” “informality,” and “performance”.
tography, audio‐visual recordings, observations, historic As the authors explore the nuanced layers of urban
cartographic analyses, interviews, and surveys. Each of design through a variety of case studies and research
these methods comes with its own set of challenges. approaches, the book stands as a critical resource for aca‐
These challenges highlight the difficulties in achieving demics, practitioners, and students alike—encouraging
systematic and reliable data collection, which is a major a dialogue that is both reflective and forward‐thinking.
hurdle in conducting comprehensive studies on infor‐ By confronting the challenges of urban design with a rich
mal urbanism. diversity of analytical tools and theoretical frameworks,
The examination of the capacities and challenges this volume not only contributes to the academic dis‐
associated with informal urbanism has often been over‐ course but also serves as a catalyst for practical innova‐
looked in urban design studies. The collection of chap‐ tion in shaping the future of urban environments.
ters in part four illustrates the broad spectrum and In the end, I must mention that although the book
significance of exploring forms of informal urbanism is organised into five thematic parts, most chapters can
in different contexts. Stefan Al investigates urban vil‐ be considered related to other parts. This, perhaps, is
lages, Gabriela Quintana Vigiola examines barrios settle‐ more in line with the original presupposition of the
ments, Gordon C. C. Douglas discusses non‐traditional book, rejecting the rigidity of hierarchical structuring and
research methods in the context of the Global North, causality thinking. I would definitely recommend this
Jota Samper proposes a morphological framework for book as a source of inspiration to my colleagues and stu‐
informal settlements, and Hesam Kamalipour reflects dents, especially those who are looking for a solid win‐
on researching informal urbanism. Other contributors, dow into urban design research.
including Francesca Piazzoni, Lautaro Ojeda Ledesma,
Kiran Keswani, and Banashree Banerjee, provide insights Acknowledgments
into various aspects and methodologies for studying
street vending. I wish to extend my thanks to Hesam Kamlipour for pro‐
Part five includes a collection of chapters exploring viding me with a copy of the book and for his swift
“performance” in urban design. The underlying question responses to the many inquiries I had while writing this
here is about how we might be able to evaluate the review. I would also like to thank Tiago Cardoso and the
quality of urban spaces, from which perspectives, and editors of the thematic issue for accepting this review.
based on what criteria. This part opens with a chapter by
Jon Lang and Nancy Marshall where they challenge tra‐ Conflict of Interests
ditional methods for exploring urban squares while high‐
lighting the importance of integrating new technologies. The author declares no conflict of interests.
This opening is followed by a number of other chap‐
ters embracing nuanced and technology‐oriented ana‐ References
lytical techniques, methods, and/or tools such as meta‐
verse, augmented reality, geographic information sys‐ Gibson, J. J. (1979). The ecological approach to visual per‐
tems (GIS), eye‐tracking, thermal camera imaging, and ception. Houghton Mifflin.
syntax 1.0. This is not to say all chapters under this theme Kamalipour, H., Aelbrecht, P., & Peimani, N. (Eds.).
are analytical and technology‐oriented; for instance, the (2023a). The Routledge handbook of urban design
chapter “Post‐occupancy Evaluation” by Mike Biddulph research methods. Routledge. https://doi.org/
opens a window into the relevance and importance of 10.4324/9781003168621
mapping and observation in evaluating the performance Kamalipour, H., Aelbrecht, P., & Peimani, N. (2023b).
of urban spaces. Overall, part five highlights the neces‐ Introduction: Urban design research. In
sity of embracing a multitude of research methods to H. Kamalipour, P. Aelbrecht, & N. Peimani (Eds.), The
address the diverse challenges in exploring what “good” Routledge handbook of urban design research meth‐
urban design might entail and how it could be consis‐ ods (pp. 1–12). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/
tently achieved. 9781003168621‐1

Urban Planning, 2023, Volume 8, Issue 4, Pages X–X 3

About the Author

Aminreza Iranmanesh (PhD) is an associate professor of architecture and urbanism, currently teaching
at Final International University. His research delves into urban network analytics, social media, GIS
science, urban geography, informal urbanism, and architectural pedagogy. Currently, he is examining
the emerging relationships between digital communication mediums and both urban form and design
education.

Urban Planning, 2023, Volume 8, Issue 4, Pages X–X 4