Published to honour David Walker, this series of themed, specific and chronological articles covers the architecture of Scottish towns and cities. The book provides an introduction to the form, evolution and variety of the Scottish urban world. It looks at the birth of burghs, then the importance of their ecclesiastical centrepieces. It takes the reader through Renaissance pride in the urban form to the birth of town planning. It moves on from the urban villa to the 19th-century growth of residential peripheries and the 20th-century provision of local authority housing. Historical views, both visual and literary, give an insight into the urban development. Leading architects are given their due, not least through the focus on two representatives of different centuries, Robert Adam and Alexander Greek Thomson. Transport, and its impact on burgh planning and form, is also considered. A greater appreciation and understanding of the Scottish burgh is made possible through these essays.
Contributors to the book include: Iam Campbell, Ronald Cant, Catherine Croft, Richard Fawcett, John Frew, Miles Glendinning, Audor Gomme, Ian Gow, John Hume, James Macaulay, Ranald MacInnes, Duncan Macmillan, Deborah Mays, Anne Riches and Alistair Rowan.