Alvar Aalto and Urban Design

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.