NY: Princeton University Press/Island Press, 2012. 

• Translated into Chinese, Korean, Farsi, Spanish, and Portuguese.
• “Foreword to Chinese Edition of Good Urbanism,” Good Urbanism, Chinese translation by Jin Zhao, China Architecture and Building Press, 2017.

We all have a natural nesting instinct—we know what makes a good place. And a consensus has developed among urban planners and designers about the essential components of healthy, prosperous communities. So why aren’t these ideals being put into practice?

In Good Urbanism, Nan Ellin identifies the obstacles to creating thriving environments, and presents a six-step process to overcome them: prospect, polish, propose, prototype, promote, present. She argues that we need to reach beyond conventional planning to cultivate good ideas and leverage the resources to realize them.

Ellin illustrates the process with ten exemplary projects, from Envision Utah to Open Space Seattle. Each case study shows how to pair vision with practicality, drawing on our best natural instincts and new planning tools. 

For planners, urban designers, community developers, and students of these fields, Ellin’s innovative approach offers an inspired, yet concrete path to building good places.

Reviews

“In another tour-de-force for the urban planning profession, Nan Ellin delivers a ‘how-to’ book with theoretical muscle.” – Emily Talen (University of Chicago)

“This book is a must read, now more than ever, for city planners, urban designers and architects as they vie to make cities around the world pleasanter habitats for their residents and visitors.” – Jon Lang, Professor Emeritus, University of New South Wales, Australia

“Nan Ellin is an eloquent advocate for an urbanism of kindness. This book gracefully bridges the artificial divide between vision and practicality to show how we can co-create cities that produce and fulfill our desires for good lives – for ‘prosperity’ – by drawing inspiration from the gifts of our neighbors and our planet.” – Michael Sorkin, Professor Emeritus, Graduate Program in Urban Design, CUNY

“Ellin’s Good Urbanism artfully bridges the gap between theory and practice …. The case studies alone would be useful for planning or design courses speaking to community engagement or project process issues…. Good Urbanism is another worthy contribution from the author to the growing literature supporting equitable, ecological, and ethical planning and design practice.” – Leah Hollstein, review in Journal of Planning Education and Research, June 2014

“While this book could be a reference for urban designers, universities with a strong and engaged learning culture could turn to Good Urbanism as the go-to guide for any civic engagement project, regardless of the discipline the project is housed within. The book’s optimistic approach is undeniable and refreshing…. Ellin’s straightforward approach to telling the story and organization of case studies, combined with the overlay of six step icon, makes it a friendly resource for first-time grassroots activists and students.” – Traci Sooter, review in The Nature of Cities