One of the key missions of this journal is to develop a scientific understanding that can be effectively used to enable us to design better cities, however that be defined through equity, efficiency, sustainability, quality of life and a host of other objectives that over the last century have variously been pursued through instruments of physical change. In this sense, science and design are closely intertwined, and although our goal in this field is to unravel many tangled and convoluted ideas, our success has been mixed. Science and design require different perspectives on the world, and although in theory, most believe that good science and good design go hand-in-hand, the differences in viewpoint are significant enough to make the question continually challenging. It is almost a rite of passage to argue that science and design both require intuition and discipline essential to building urban environments that meet the lofty goals of urban planning; but to ensure that this is possible, it remains forever problematic. The past century or more of experience in attempting to build better cities does not bode well for the next century, particularly due to the relative volatility in ideas and values as well as in the focus on physical form that continues to underpin this wider quest.

中文翻译：

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COVID-19时代的科学与设计

该杂志的主要任务之一是发展科学理解，可以有效地利用它来使我们设计更好的城市，但是要通过公平，效率，可持续性，生活质量和一系列其他目标来定义。上个世纪通过有形变化的手段来追求。从这个意义上讲，科学和设计紧密地交织在一起，尽管我们在这一领域的目标是解开许多错综复杂的想法，但我们的成功是喜忧参半。科学和设计需要对世界有不同的看法，尽管从理论上讲，大多数人认为好的科学和好的设计是相辅相成的，但观点的差异足以使这个问题不断挑战。争辩说科学和设计都需要直觉和纪律，这对于建立满足城市规划崇高目标的城市环境至关重要。但是要确保这是可能的，它永远都是问题。过去一个世纪或更长时间尝试建设更好的城市的经验对于下个世纪并不是一个好兆头，尤其是由于思想和价值观的相对波动以及对物质形式的关注继续支撑着这一更广泛的追求。