Alvar Aalto and Urban Design
ISBN 9781032779362
Publishing on October 24, 2025
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Reviews
"A great introduction to both the field of urban design and the work of Alvar Aalto, which are more related to each other than one would initially believe. Beyond Aalto, the book illuminates the work of a robust broader cast of more or less well-known characters from the Modern period and beyond, including Lewis Mumford, Sigfried Giedion, Patrick Geddes, Eliel Saarinen, Stan Allen, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Christopher Alexander, and Kevin Lynch."
Paul Tristis on goodreads
"This is a fantastic book. The authors provide an in-depth discussion on Aalto's urban design work and philosophy, and draw insightful connections with urban thinking today. I especially enjoyed the table of contents, organized around conceptual themes, which makes the book fun to read and think with. It also includes many beautiful plans and diagrams that help illustrate and deepen the topics. I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in Aalto's architecture and planning, as well broader topics such as urban systems and ecology, humanism in design, typology, place-making, and adaptation. It's a great resource for architects, students, or anyone who's interested in learning more about cities and why they're important."
Steven S. on goodreads
Book Description
This book provides a fresh look at Alvar Aalto's regional and community planning work, particularly the ways in which he incorporated sustainability, resiliency, energy, and health, and examines how contemporary architects and planners can learn from this approach for the betterment of 21st-century urban design and our future cities. The Alvar Aalto Atelier planned and promoted regional development that combined ecological features, considered density, and offered a framework for informality, including flexible, adaptable infrastructures, with physical plans integrating communities with nature. These plans were largely suburban and contained vital lessons on how to deal with sprawl, traffic, landscape, energy, labor, and industry. This book analyzes letters, writings, and drawings not seen outside the Alvar Aalto Foundation, to review alternative ways to examine suburban landscapes and urban typologies, through sustainability, ecology, and use of digital technologies. This is an essential read for all those interested in the urban design work of Alvar Aalto. Written in an accessible way for those new to the work of Aalto, Architecture and Urban Design students of all levels will also find this a helpful guide on ecologically and socially responsible design.
Table of Contents
00 Introduction
01 Pattern and Context
02 Map and Layer
03 Object and Field
04 Network and Flow
05 Evolve and Adapt
06 Scaffold and Armature
07 Energy and Emergence
Author(s)
Biography
Robert Cody is a registered architect in New York, LEED accredited, and a member of the AIA and NCARB. He is a founding partner of Amoia Cody Architecture, established with his partner Angela Amoia. Since 2005, he has taught at the New York Institute of Technology, where he has served as Professor of Practice since 2019, focusing on comprehensive and community design studios as well as building technology courses. He is currently the Director of the Master of Architecture program at NYIT. Robert has taught and coordinated design studios across all levels, building construction, architectural theory, and led study abroad programs in Italy, Germany, and Scandinavia from 2014 to 2019. His leadership roles at NYIT include Chair (2011–2017), Associate Dean (2017), and Director of Undergraduate Programs (2018).
Angela Amoia is a partner at Amoia Cody Architecture and an Adjunct Associate Professor of Architecture at NYIT's School of Architecture and Design. She has balanced practice and teaching since earning her Master of Science in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University, where she began her research on Alvar Aalto. Amoia has taught history, theory, and architectural design studios, including comprehensive studios, and has participated in study abroad programs in Italy with a focus on architectural history. In practice, she has served as project manager on a wide range of work, including skyscrapers, large-scale academic facilities, residential buildings, and adaptive reuse projects, in both internationally and locally recognized New York City firms.
