’For many years now phenomenology has influenced both the theory and the practice of architecture, challenging a still dominant preoccupation with technological innovation and aesthetic uniqueness. But the most pressing challenge facing architecture today, how it is to meet its social and environmental responsibility, has received insufficient attention. Focusing on the city, the present collection of chapters addresses that deficit, where the high quality of the contributions makes this also a tribute to the Cambridge Department of Architecture, with which all the authors have some connection.’ Karsten Harries, Yale University, USA