A magnificent study. In an age where eco-has become the necessary prefix in urban design and building, Downton is a breath of fresh air. He speaks to the best within us and offers not only hope, but a blue-print for achieving sustainable communities that are in touch with people and place. Downton's Ecopolis represents both a vast theoretical knowledge (detailed particularly in a chapter entitled 'weavers of theory') but also the wizened experience of an architect who seeks to implement the ideas he advocates. Included in this volume are accounts of three projects Downton has personally been involved in.



Written in the lineage of Christopher Alexander & Richard Register, Downton's Ecopolis is set to become a modern classic.



Peter Burdon, University of Adelaide, School of Law