I always knew that I felt comfortable and relaxed in some places (houses, rooms, neighborhoods), but it was often hard to put my finger on why. After reading this book, I know. Its a bit hard to explain, but after Alexander explains the importance of, say, an entrance transition, youll know why even though you feel completely relaxed around Bill, youre never relaxed at his house, which opens straight onto the street. Few books have changed my perceptions of my everyday world as much as this one. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt;The vogue for Sarah Susankas "Not so big house" books utterly escapes me when Alexanders book is more helpful, informative and thought-provoking in every respect.
This resource book is a somewhat obscure but very useful tome on the use of space by people across cultural and generational bounds. For the practicing planning and design professional it offers useful insights that are sometimes obvious, but not always reduced to ths succinct perspective that the investigators bring to their study. It is a worthwhile addition to the library of reference books.
Never before have I read a book which is nominally a textbook that made me feel "right". A Pattern Language succeeds without trying to define all the reasons that make places comfortable. Totally in tune with how people work, play and interact. Chris Alexander would have to be one of the most profoundly insightful people I have read. The man is a legend in his own time.
