¹Structura Naturalis Inc., 900 Cornell Street, Lake Oswego, Oregon 97034, USA

Correspondence: Michael W Mehaffy, E-mail: michael.mehaffy@gmail.com

Abstract

Christopher Alexander, author of the seminal planning and architecture texts Notes on the Synthesis of Form, 'A City is Not A Tree', and A Pattern Language, has published his longest and most complex work yet, The Nature of Order. This text, rich in philosophical complexity, may seem unrelated to Alexander's earlier, mathematically grounded work. The argument is presented here that it is in fact a logically consistent element of a diverse yet coherent corpus. The long career that it reflects also serves as a record of key issues of debate within the modern history of planning and architecture, which have yet to be resolved. At the same time, Alexander's continuing pragmatic influence is felt beyond planning and architecture, in fields as diverse as organization theory, design theory and computer science.