Why do modern cities, suburbs, and industrial and farming landscapes all tend to look alike despite their regional settings? In this generously illustrated and provocative book, a landscape architect argues that the monotony of the modern landscape is a reflection of indifference on the part of society to the diversity inherent in ecological systems and in human communities. In case studies drawn from all parts of the world-Turkey and Hong Kong to northern England and Edinburgh, to Kentucky and Oregon, to Ontario and Manitoba-Michael Hough shows how build environments work and what designers can do to maintain the clearly identifiable differences between one place and another.

Cities and Natural Process is a discussion of the fundamental conflict in the perception of nature and an expression of the essential need for an environmental view when approaching urban design. Michael Hough outlines how natural and human processes are altered by the city and how this leads to changes in attitudes and cultural values. He reveals how alternative values based on ecological insights offer the possibility of a constructive relationship with the urban environment. Practical examples of opportunities that are often unrecognized serve to illustrate the potential for beneficial change.
While retaining the existing structure of the first edition, each of the chapters has been revised to take into account recent theoretical and practical developments. A completely new concluding chapter has been added that draws together the themes of the volume and links these to broader landscape issues such as greenway systems, landscape ecology, and green infrastructure.</P>