These proceedings contain lectures and contributed papers presented at the NATO-NSF Advanced Study Institute on Optimization of Distributed Parameter Structures (Iowa City, Iowa 21 May - 4 June, 1980). The institute was organized by E. Haug and J. Cea, with the enthusiastic help of leading contributors to the field of distributed parameter structural optimization. The principle con tributor to this field during the past two decades, Professor William Prager, participated in planning for the Institute and helped to establish its technical direction. His death just prior to the Institute is a deep loss to the community of engineers and mathematicians in the field, to which he made pioneering contri butions. The proceedings are organized into seven parts, each address ing important problems and special considerations involving classes of structural optimization problems. The review paper presented first in the proceedings surveys contributions to the field, primarily during the decade 1970-1980. Part I of the pro ceedings addresses optimality criteria methods for analyzing and solving problems of distributed parameter structural optimization. Optimality criteria obtained using variational methods of mech anics, calculus of variation, optimal control theory, and abstract optimization theory are presented for numerous classes of struct ures; including beams, columns, plates, grids, shells, and arches.