The Urban Design Toolkit provides a comprehensive compendium of applied urban design methods, techniques and approaches.

Comprising 32 original 'toolkits', the book offers detailed step-by-step guidance across three core practices. Firstly, on contextual analysis, ranging from the strategic to the human scale and focusing on the ways in which people understand and interact with their surroundings; secondly, on the responsive design of functional streets, spaces, green infrastructure and building arrangements; and finally, on the wide-ranging approaches to effectively communicating evidence-based urban design.

Over 300 original graphics and images enhance the reader's understanding of urban design as a technical vocation. Using bespoke supporting examples and international best practice case studies, from Oslo and London to Toronto and Hong Kong, the book is a visually compelling and insightful instruction manual for students, educators and professional practitioners alike.

Whatever your level of experience and expertise, The Urban Design Toolkit will enhance your understanding and develop your skills in the pursuit of contextually responsive, people-centred, high-quality urban design.

About the Author

Dr Philip Black is Director of the Manchester Urban Design LAB (MUD-Lab) and Senior Lecturer in Urban Design and Head of Urban Design Programmes at the University of Manchester. He is the lead author of The Urban Design Process (Lund Humphries, 2019) and Applied Urban Design: A Contextually Responsive Approach (Routledge, 2025). Philip has an extensive track record of research and publications on applied urban design with a particular focus on design quality, design governance, and urban design process/professional practice.

Rachel Kerr is a lecturer in Urban Design at the University of Manchester and chartered member of the RTPI, with over ten years' experience working in urban design practice. She has worked at consultancies AECOM and WYG and most recently as Associate in the Urban Design team at Tetra Tech, before joining the University of Manchester. Rachel teaches studio-based units focusing on practical design skills, and leads the coordination of projects across academia and professional practice in her role as Outreach Coordinator for the MUD-Lab.

Dr Taki Sonbli is Manager of the Manchester Urban Design LAB, and the Technical Lead Specialist for all urban design programmes at University of Manchester. Taki is co-author of The Urban Design Process (Lund Humphries, 2019) and Applied Urban Design: A Contextually Responsive Approach (Routledge, 2025), he has also published in the areas of culturally sensitive urban design, and the graphical language of urban space.

Book Information
ISBN 9781915722713
Author Philip Black
Format Paperback
Page Count 304
Imprint RIBA Publishing
Publisher RIBA Publishing
Weight(grams) 1000g
Dimensions(mm) 246mm * 210mm * 17mm