Book excerpt: Manual for Urban Design Urban design is based on planning and design principles that need to meet functional demands on the one hand, but on the other hand bring the design elements together into a distinctive whole. The basic compositional principles are, for the most part, timeless. Designing Cities examines the most important design and presentation principles of urban design, using historical examples and contemporary international competition entries designed by practices including Foster + Partners, KCAP Architects & Planners, MVRDV, and OMA. At the core of the publication is the question of how the projects were designed and what methods and tools were available to the designer: such as parametric design, in which variable parameters automatically influence the design and provide a range of possible solutions. Tools for urban design Current projects and award-winning competition entries by renowned international practices A textbook for students and a practical design aid for practicing architects and planners