CITY AND NATURE
An integrated whole

Reykjavik, more than most other cities, was formed in a close interplay with nature, which in earlier times made this city, and its surrounding nature, a close unity. The book suggests a method to achieve this integration again.

Western thinking still sees binary pairs, like e.g. city and nature and house and garden as opposites. The book explains that these pairs, contrary to belief, complement each other. Their union, therefore, actually elevates cities and architecture to a higher level.

CONTENTS

Foreword  
Introduction 

I. Man and his Methods
City and Nature 
Method Rules the World 
A New Vision of Connectedness 

II. Reykjavik - Three Periods
Age of Integration 
Age of Alienation 
Age of Reconnecting 

III. Connecting City and Nature
Connecting the City and Water 
Connecting the City and Adjacent Areas  
Relations to the Elements 
Relations to the Geological Forces 
Neighhourhoods and Open Spaces 
Buildings and Open Spaces 

Notes and Sources 
Illustrations 
Index of Terms and Names 
Summary and Epilogue 

Trausti Valsson is a registered architect and urban planner and a professor of planning, at the University of Iceland Deparment of Environmental and Civil Engineering.