Salingaros's writings helped introduce two key concepts in urban morphology, fractals and networks. His book Principles of Urban Structure has been compared to that of Michael Batty (UK) and (France) in describing cities as giant fractals, and the separate efforts of Paul Drewe Archived September 12, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. (Holland) and Gabriel Dupuy (France) when describing cities as giant networks. His work links urban form with new concepts such as the small world network and the scale-free network. Michael Batty, Bartlett Professor of Planning at University College London, wrote of his contributions: "Salingaros shows how networks that evolve from the bottom up lead to ordered (scaling) hierarchies that are both efficient and well-adjusted... This is small world theory, but contained within it is the germ of an idea that has barely been exploited. When connecting elements in cities, there is a natural ordering of many short links that add up to a smaller number of longer links that, in my opinion, could be linked to small worlds, to scale-free networks, to energy law distributions, and, more significantly, to changes in transportation technology. Salingaros is the first to hint at this."[2]​.

A Theory of Architecture, a collection of previously published articles, describes a set of guidelines for design, giving scientific principles that link forms with human sensibilities. In this work he describes a practical architectural system in a way that any practicing architect can use. The text incorporates Salingaros's observations on the most notable buildings of the past, which he defines as those that best respond to human sensibilities. While this method and its theoretical foundation support traditional architectural typologies, it emphasizes that architects must be free to adapt their ideas to particular situations, letting decisions be influenced by the environment and the needs of the project. Explore questions such as: How can ornament be justified and why is it necessary? What are the proportions and hierarchies that promote neighborliness and beauty? What is it about our biological nature, perhaps even the nature of matter itself, that makes us feel one thing in the presence of one type of structure and another in the presence of another? Speaking as a mathematician, he proposes a theoretical framework to answer these questions.

Antiarchitecture and Deconstruction is a collection of essays written as a polemic against contemporary "star" architecture, and its supporters within academic architecture and the architectural media. A passionate indictment of the "bad architecture" that he believes has been promoted by his actions, Salingaros defines "bad architecture" as that which makes people physically uncomfortable or bothersome, and that pursues formal or ideological concerns rather than adapting to nature and the needs of ordinary human beings.

"Social housing in Latin America: a methodology for using self-organizing processes", by Nikos Salingaros, David Brain, Andrés Duany, Michael Mehaffy") and Ernesto Philibert, described the role of socio-spatial relations in ensuring a successful built environment. urban space loved by its inhabitants, enough to be defended against encroachment and degradation, as a crucial concept. The criterion is emotional, and arises from the correct satisfaction of the emotional needs of the residents through the appropriate urban morphology, which in turn is created only through the participation of the users (in a bottom-up process guided by an NGO representative. This type of successful urban space rarely emerges from post-war planning typologies.[4]​.

Salingaros' most recent writings focus on biophilia as an essential component of the design of the human environment, thus linking the ideas of Edward Osborne Wilson to sustainable design.

Architecture

Salingaros has had a significant theoretical influence on several important figures in architecture. Christopher Alexander, author of the seminal treatises Pattern Language and Notes on the Synthesis of Form"), describes Salingaros's influence: "In my opinion, the second person who began to explore the deep connection between science and architecture was Nikos Salingaros, one of the four editors of Katarxis. He had been working with me, helping me edit material on The Nature of Order, for years, and at some point, in the mid-nineties, I think, he started writing articles that analyzed architectural problems in a scientific way. Then, in the second half of the nineties, he began to make important contributions to the construction of this bridge between scientific explorations and architecture."[5]​.

Charles of Wales, an influential critic of contemporary architecture, expressed Salingaros's influence in his own preface to Salingaros's text entitled A Theory of Architecture: "Surely no voice is more stimulating than that of this intriguing, perhaps historically important, new thinker?"[6]​.

tall buildings

"The End of Tall Buildings" (2001), co-authored with James Howard Kunstler,[7] argued that the era of the skyscraper has come to an end and that 9/11 marks the beginning of the end of the modernist typologies that dominate urban form. Although the world has not stopped building skyscrapers, this became one of the most cited and controversial essays on the subject. Referring to this essay, Benjamin Forgey of The Washington Post said: "What many feel today goes right to the core: the fear of being a target. And who today can deny that tall buildings like the World Trade Center towers are ideal targets?"[8]​.

Town planning

Salingaros contributed to the New Athens Charter of 2003, which is intended to replace the original Athens Charter of 1933 written primarily by the highly influential modernist architect and planner Le Corbusier. This plan segregated urban functions and contributed to generating postwar urban typologies such as monoculture and sprawl. Through this and other writings, Salingaros sought to modernize suburbs and reconnect American and European cities on a human scale. This work can be seen as allying with the New Urbanism movement to replace sprawling development with compact, walkable cities and towns.

He is involved in forming a community that applies techniques analogous to file-sharing and open source software from computer science to urban planning. This movement, based on the principles of peer-to-peer, is aptly called P2P Urbanism") and combines user participation in the design and the use of Christopher Alexander's Design Patterns") with other methods useful in managing complex software. A description, definition, and recent articles are posted on the Foundation for Peer to Peer Alternatives website.

Computing

Salingaros has never written a true software article, however two of his articles are cited by the CS community. Both articles were later included as chapters in the book "Principles of Urban Structure."

The Structure of Pattern Languages (2000)[9]​ argues that patterns (a concept central to the design patterns movement in CS and introduced by Alexander) encapsulate information about recurring design solutions and human activities. Techniques for linking observed patterns validate a pattern language and rule out stylistic rules and antipatterns as arbitrary. E. Todd, E. Kemp and C. Phillips commented: "Salingaros shows that a loose collection of patterns is not a system, because it lacks connections, implying that the quality and nature of the connections between patterns is what determines whether a collection is a language or not. He identifies two forms of connectivity when talking about pattern languages: external connectivity and internal connectivity. These two forms of connection are fundamental to validating a pattern language. Salingaros implies that the richness of connections between levels and within levels in a Pattern language is a factor that determines the internal validity of a language."[10]​.

The information architecture of cities (co-authored with L. Andrew Coward, 2004) Ref.[11]​ describes cities as information architecture systems, in which high-level functionality separates the system into communication modules. Information exchange in urban systems includes visual information about the environment, personal contact, telecommunications, and movement of people. Residents' trips through a city achieve an exchange of primary information (the interaction that is the intention of the trip). But ideally, trips have a secondary and serendipitous exchange of information. For example, a pedestrian on his way to work visits stores, sees advertisements, buys a newspaper, meets a friend, and talks briefly. The virtue of cities is this dense, fractal and multi-layered exchange of information. It is closely related to the generation of economic and cultural wealth within cities.

In "The Information Architecture of Cities", Salingaros also defined the useful notion of "fractal charge", which was later picked up by Richard Veryard),[12]​ Phil Jones,[13]​[14]​ and others in Computer Science.

Complexity

He introduced a complexity model using an analogy with thermodynamic quantities in physics, later developed in collaboration with computer scientist Allen Klinger. This work adopted Herbert Alexander Simon's notion that what matters is the organization of complexity, and proposed a simple means of measuring it. Christopher Alexander discussed Salingaros's model in Book 1 of The Nature of Order: "I think it is important to show this result simply to underline the fact that living structure is, in principle, amenable to mathematical treatment and can therefore be considered as part of physics."

Philosophy

Salingaros has been a harsh critic of deconstructivism in architecture and its uncritical application of the philosophy of post-structuralism. His essay "The Derrida Virus"[15] argues that the ideas of French philosopher Jacques Derrida, applied uncritically, effectively form a "virus" of information that dismantles logical thought and knowledge. Salingaros employs the meme model previously introduced by Richard Dawkins to explain the transmission of ideas. In doing so, he provides a model that validates philosopher Richard Wolin's earlier claims that Derrida's philosophy is logically nihilistic. Although Salingaros uses Dawkins' ideas, he disagrees with Dawkins' assessment of religion as just another meme, as set out in Dawkins' book The God Delusion. Endorsing Alexander's more recent work linking religion to geometry, Salingaros argues for the tradition's important historical contribution religious to human understanding, both in architecture and philosophy.

Salingaros has been included in "50 VISIONARIES Who Are Changing Your World", published in the November-December 2008 issue of Utne Reader. This is the first follow-up to Utne Reader's 2001 book "(65) VISIONARIES: People and Ideas to Change Your Life", which included Jane Jacobs, Andrés Duany, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, Muhammad Yunus, Fritjof Capra, Edward Goldsmith and William McDonough.

• - "The Derrida Virus." Telos 126 (Winter 2003). New York: Telos Press.

• - Anti-Architecture and Deconstruction (2004; 2nd Ed 2007).

• - Principles of Urban Structure (2005).

• - A Theory of Architecture (2006).

• - The Future of Cities (in press in 2007).

• - Morphogenetic school.

• - Nikos A. Salingaros: articles on architecture, complexity, patterns and urbanism Archived November 7, 2010 at the Wayback Machine.

• - International Society of Biourbanism (ISB).

• - Michael Blowhard interviews Nikos Salingaros.

• - Manner of Man magazine interview with Nikos Salingaros.

• - Nikos Salingaros interviews Leon Krier.

• - NPR panel discussion on saving the TWA terminal at Kennedy Airport.

• - International Network of Traditional Construction, Architecture and Urban Planning (INTBAU).

• - Lakis Polykarpou interviews James Howard Kunstler and Nikos Salingaros.

Salingaros's writings helped introduce two key concepts in urban morphology, fractals and networks. His book Principles of Urban Structure has been compared to that of Michael Batty (UK) and (France) in describing cities as giant fractals, and the separate efforts of Paul Drewe Archived September 12, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. (Holland) and Gabriel Dupuy (France) when describing cities as giant networks. His work links urban form with new concepts such as the small world network and the scale-free network. Michael Batty, Bartlett Professor of Planning at University College London, wrote of his contributions: "Salingaros shows how networks that evolve from the bottom up lead to ordered (scaling) hierarchies that are both efficient and well-adjusted... This is small world theory, but contained within it is the germ of an idea that has barely been exploited. When connecting elements in cities, there is a natural ordering of many short links that add up to a smaller number of longer links that, in my opinion, could be linked to small worlds, to scale-free networks, to energy law distributions, and, more significantly, to changes in transportation technology. Salingaros is the first to hint at this."[2]​.

A Theory of Architecture, a collection of previously published articles, describes a set of guidelines for design, giving scientific principles that link forms with human sensibilities. In this work he describes a practical architectural system in a way that any practicing architect can use. The text incorporates Salingaros's observations on the most notable buildings of the past, which he defines as those that best respond to human sensibilities. While this method and its theoretical foundation support traditional architectural typologies, it emphasizes that architects must be free to adapt their ideas to particular situations, letting decisions be influenced by the environment and the needs of the project. Explore questions such as: How can ornament be justified and why is it necessary? What are the proportions and hierarchies that promote neighborliness and beauty? What is it about our biological nature, perhaps even the nature of matter itself, that makes us feel one thing in the presence of one type of structure and another in the presence of another? Speaking as a mathematician, he proposes a theoretical framework to answer these questions.

Antiarchitecture and Deconstruction is a collection of essays written as a polemic against contemporary "star" architecture, and its supporters within academic architecture and the architectural media. A passionate indictment of the "bad architecture" that he believes has been promoted by his actions, Salingaros defines "bad architecture" as that which makes people physically uncomfortable or bothersome, and that pursues formal or ideological concerns rather than adapting to nature and the needs of ordinary human beings.

"Social housing in Latin America: a methodology for using self-organizing processes", by Nikos Salingaros, David Brain, Andrés Duany, Michael Mehaffy") and Ernesto Philibert, described the role of socio-spatial relations in ensuring a successful built environment. urban space loved by its inhabitants, enough to be defended against encroachment and degradation, as a crucial concept. The criterion is emotional, and arises from the correct satisfaction of the emotional needs of the residents through the appropriate urban morphology, which in turn is created only through the participation of the users (in a bottom-up process guided by an NGO representative. This type of successful urban space rarely emerges from post-war planning typologies.[4]​.

Salingaros' most recent writings focus on biophilia as an essential component of the design of the human environment, thus linking the ideas of Edward Osborne Wilson to sustainable design.

Architecture

Salingaros has had a significant theoretical influence on several important figures in architecture. Christopher Alexander, author of the seminal treatises Pattern Language and Notes on the Synthesis of Form"), describes Salingaros's influence: "In my opinion, the second person who began to explore the deep connection between science and architecture was Nikos Salingaros, one of the four editors of Katarxis. He had been working with me, helping me edit material on The Nature of Order, for years, and at some point, in the mid-nineties, I think, he started writing articles that analyzed architectural problems in a scientific way. Then, in the second half of the nineties, he began to make important contributions to the construction of this bridge between scientific explorations and architecture."[5]​.

Charles of Wales, an influential critic of contemporary architecture, expressed Salingaros's influence in his own preface to Salingaros's text entitled A Theory of Architecture: "Surely no voice is more stimulating than that of this intriguing, perhaps historically important, new thinker?"[6]​.

tall buildings

"The End of Tall Buildings" (2001), co-authored with James Howard Kunstler,[7] argued that the era of the skyscraper has come to an end and that 9/11 marks the beginning of the end of the modernist typologies that dominate urban form. Although the world has not stopped building skyscrapers, this became one of the most cited and controversial essays on the subject. Referring to this essay, Benjamin Forgey of The Washington Post said: "What many feel today goes right to the core: the fear of being a target. And who today can deny that tall buildings like the World Trade Center towers are ideal targets?"[8]​.

Town planning

Salingaros contributed to the New Athens Charter of 2003, which is intended to replace the original Athens Charter of 1933 written primarily by the highly influential modernist architect and planner Le Corbusier. This plan segregated urban functions and contributed to generating postwar urban typologies such as monoculture and sprawl. Through this and other writings, Salingaros sought to modernize suburbs and reconnect American and European cities on a human scale. This work can be seen as allying with the New Urbanism movement to replace sprawling development with compact, walkable cities and towns.

He is involved in forming a community that applies techniques analogous to file-sharing and open source software from computer science to urban planning. This movement, based on the principles of peer-to-peer, is aptly called P2P Urbanism") and combines user participation in the design and the use of Christopher Alexander's Design Patterns") with other methods useful in managing complex software. A description, definition, and recent articles are posted on the Foundation for Peer to Peer Alternatives website.

Computing

Salingaros has never written a true software article, however two of his articles are cited by the CS community. Both articles were later included as chapters in the book "Principles of Urban Structure."

The Structure of Pattern Languages (2000)[9]​ argues that patterns (a concept central to the design patterns movement in CS and introduced by Alexander) encapsulate information about recurring design solutions and human activities. Techniques for linking observed patterns validate a pattern language and rule out stylistic rules and antipatterns as arbitrary. E. Todd, E. Kemp and C. Phillips commented: "Salingaros shows that a loose collection of patterns is not a system, because it lacks connections, implying that the quality and nature of the connections between patterns is what determines whether a collection is a language or not. He identifies two forms of connectivity when talking about pattern languages: external connectivity and internal connectivity. These two forms of connection are fundamental to validating a pattern language. Salingaros implies that the richness of connections between levels and within levels in a Pattern language is a factor that determines the internal validity of a language."[10]​.

The information architecture of cities (co-authored with L. Andrew Coward, 2004) Ref.[11]​ describes cities as information architecture systems, in which high-level functionality separates the system into communication modules. Information exchange in urban systems includes visual information about the environment, personal contact, telecommunications, and movement of people. Residents' trips through a city achieve an exchange of primary information (the interaction that is the intention of the trip). But ideally, trips have a secondary and serendipitous exchange of information. For example, a pedestrian on his way to work visits stores, sees advertisements, buys a newspaper, meets a friend, and talks briefly. The virtue of cities is this dense, fractal and multi-layered exchange of information. It is closely related to the generation of economic and cultural wealth within cities.

In "The Information Architecture of Cities", Salingaros also defined the useful notion of "fractal charge", which was later picked up by Richard Veryard),[12]​ Phil Jones,[13]​[14]​ and others in Computer Science.

Complexity

He introduced a complexity model using an analogy with thermodynamic quantities in physics, later developed in collaboration with computer scientist Allen Klinger. This work adopted Herbert Alexander Simon's notion that what matters is the organization of complexity, and proposed a simple means of measuring it. Christopher Alexander discussed Salingaros's model in Book 1 of The Nature of Order: "I think it is important to show this result simply to underline the fact that living structure is, in principle, amenable to mathematical treatment and can therefore be considered as part of physics."

Philosophy

Salingaros has been a harsh critic of deconstructivism in architecture and its uncritical application of the philosophy of post-structuralism. His essay "The Derrida Virus"[15] argues that the ideas of French philosopher Jacques Derrida, applied uncritically, effectively form a "virus" of information that dismantles logical thought and knowledge. Salingaros employs the meme model previously introduced by Richard Dawkins to explain the transmission of ideas. In doing so, he provides a model that validates philosopher Richard Wolin's earlier claims that Derrida's philosophy is logically nihilistic. Although Salingaros uses Dawkins' ideas, he disagrees with Dawkins' assessment of religion as just another meme, as set out in Dawkins' book The God Delusion. Endorsing Alexander's more recent work linking religion to geometry, Salingaros argues for the tradition's important historical contribution religious to human understanding, both in architecture and philosophy.

Salingaros has been included in "50 VISIONARIES Who Are Changing Your World", published in the November-December 2008 issue of Utne Reader. This is the first follow-up to Utne Reader's 2001 book "(65) VISIONARIES: People and Ideas to Change Your Life", which included Jane Jacobs, Andrés Duany, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, Muhammad Yunus, Fritjof Capra, Edward Goldsmith and William McDonough.

• - "The Derrida Virus." Telos 126 (Winter 2003). New York: Telos Press.

• - Anti-Architecture and Deconstruction (2004; 2nd Ed 2007).

• - Principles of Urban Structure (2005).

• - A Theory of Architecture (2006).

• - The Future of Cities (in press in 2007).

• - Morphogenetic school.

• - Nikos A. Salingaros: articles on architecture, complexity, patterns and urbanism Archived November 7, 2010 at the Wayback Machine.

• - International Society of Biourbanism (ISB).

• - Michael Blowhard interviews Nikos Salingaros.

• - Manner of Man magazine interview with Nikos Salingaros.

• - Nikos Salingaros interviews Leon Krier.

• - NPR panel discussion on saving the TWA terminal at Kennedy Airport.

• - International Network of Traditional Construction, Architecture and Urban Planning (INTBAU).

• - Lakis Polykarpou interviews James Howard Kunstler and Nikos Salingaros.