"Swiss architectural firm Brodbeck & Roulet was established in 1978 and is now recognised as one of Europe's leading architectural ateliers. Brodbeck & Roulet projects range from administration and industry buildings to urban development and public transport, from housing developments and residentials to prominent public buildings and sites. The principal architects are Rino Brodbeck and Jacques Roulet."--Provided by publisher.

This book examines the social and spatial dimensions of dwelling from the perspective of sustainability. This publication avoids the traditional energy and technological dimensions of sustainability to position the notion of sustainable dwelling at the crossroads of spatial polyvalence and residents' empowerment. In the field of housing, this publication identifies the recurrent properties of 'sustainable space’ and the variety of the socio-cultural practices that can embody them. Its purpose is to comprehend how the concept of sustainability is reflected in housing spaces as well as to analyse how inhabitants put those spaces to the test.

This book uses the reflection of academics specialized in the urban area of ​​Latin America, Europe and the United States, to initiate a comparative debate of the different dynamics in which Urbicidio expresses itself. The field or focal point of analysis that this publication approaches is the city, but under a new critical perspective of inverse methodology to that has been traditional used. It is about understanding the structural causes of self-destruction to finally thinking better and then going from pessimism to optimism. It is a deep look at the city from an unconventional entrance, because it is about knowing and analyzing what the city loses by the action deployed by own urbanites, both in the field of its production and in the field of its consumption. This suppose that the city does not have an ascending linear sequential evolution in its development but neither in each of its parts in the improvement process, showing the face that commonly not seen but others live. The category used for this purpose is that of Urbicidio or the death of the city, which contributes theoretically and methodologically to the knowledge of the city, as well as to the design of urban policies that neutralize it. In addition, it is worth mentioning that the book has an inclusive view of the authors. For this reason, gender parity, territorial representation and the presence of age groups have been sought.

The typology of the townhouse originated in the late 19th century yet still represents a viable and attractive alternative to the detached single-family home. Several apartments spread across up to five floors are connected by a common staircase. In terms of urban planning, this type of structure makes it possible to reconcile dense urban settlement with open green spaces. Specially commissioned photographs and plan drawings of eight exemplary Lausanne townhouses illustrate texts written by international authors, who unfold the theme in its worldwide relevance. With contributions by Martine Jaquet Vittorio Magnago Lampugnani Luca Ortelli Jonathan Sergison Martin Steinmann Oswald Mathias Ungers Filip Dujardin (photographer)

An ambitious, interdisciplinary exploration of the emergence of the urban phenomenon and its social, political and cultural dynamic.