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The Flea Palace
by Elif Shafak • 2002
At a decaying Istanbul apartment building, a pest control van unearths the tenants' tangled secrets.
3.39
8k+
The Flea Palace Summary
The Flea Palace 88%
At a decaying Istanbul apartment building, a pest control van unearths the tenants' tangled secrets.
by Elif Shafak 2002
3.39
8k+ ratings
Uses of Disorder
by Richard Sennett • 1970
The young craving for purity is architecting our cities into sterile, segregated cages.
3.88
258
Uses of Disorder Summary
Uses of Disorder 88%
The young craving for purity is architecting our cities into sterile, segregated cages.
by Richard Sennett 1970
3.88
258 ratings
Building and Dwelling
by Richard Sennett • 2018
A city is two things: physical form and lived experience. Ethical design puts the second first.
4.02
983
Building and Dwelling Summary
Building and Dwelling 88%
A city is two things: physical form and lived experience. Ethical design puts the second first.
by Richard Sennett 2018
4.02
983 ratings
How Architecture Works
by Witold Rybczynski • 2013
How a single idea shapes a masterpiece: reading buildings through their plans, skins, and details.
3.74
408
How Architecture Works Summary
How Architecture Works 87%
How a single idea shapes a masterpiece: reading buildings through their plans, skins, and details.
by Witold Rybczynski 2013
3.74
408 ratings
Flesh and Stone
by Richard Sennett • 1996
Why Western cities silence the body, and how the body fights back in stone.
4.28
541
Flesh and Stone Summary
Flesh and Stone 87%
Why Western cities silence the body, and how the body fights back in stone.
by Richard Sennett 1996
4.28
541 ratings
The Edifice Complex
by Deyan Sudjic • 2006
From Hitler's Reich Chancellery to the Bilbao Guggenheim, what monuments are really for.
3.8
380
The Edifice Complex Summary
The Edifice Complex 87%
From Hitler's Reich Chancellery to the Bilbao Guggenheim, what monuments are really for.
by Deyan Sudjic 2006
3.8
380 ratings
Palaces for the People
by Eric Klinenberg • 2018
Stronger than seawalls: the shared spaces that hold communities together when everything breaks.
3.97
5k+
Palaces for the People Summary
Palaces for the People 87%
Stronger than seawalls: the shared spaces that hold communities together when everything breaks.
by Eric Klinenberg 2018
3.97
5k+ ratings
Radical Cities
by Justin McGuirk • 2014
The slums and squatter towers of Latin America are the world's most daring urban experiments.
4.27
434
Radical Cities Summary
Radical Cities 87%
The slums and squatter towers of Latin America are the world's most daring urban experiments.
by Justin McGuirk 2014
4.27
434 ratings
The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces
by William H. Whyte • 1980
A decade of time-lapse footage on New York plazas upended every assumption about what draws a crowd.
4.33
927
The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces Summary
The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces 87%
A decade of time-lapse footage on New York plazas upended every assumption about what draws a crowd.
by William H. Whyte 1980
4.33
927 ratings
Extrastatecraft
by Keller Easterling • 2014
Free zones and broadband cables don't just move goods. They rewrite who governs the world.
3.68
410
Extrastatecraft Summary
Extrastatecraft 87%
Free zones and broadband cables don't just move goods. They rewrite who governs the world.
by Keller Easterling 2014
3.68
410 ratings
The Eyes of the Skin
by Juhani Pallasmaa • 1996
Architecture feeds the eye and starves the body. The cure lies in touch, sound, and shadow.
4.38
4k+
The Eyes of the Skin Summary
The Eyes of the Skin 87%
Architecture feeds the eye and starves the body. The cure lies in touch, sound, and shadow.
by Juhani Pallasmaa 1996
4.38
4k+ ratings
The Architecture of Happiness
by Alain de Botton • 2006
The buildings we love don't just look good. They model the person we want to be.
3.86
15k+
The Architecture of Happiness Summary
The Architecture of Happiness 87%
The buildings we love don't just look good. They model the person we want to be.
by Alain de Botton 2006
3.86
15k+ ratings
A Pattern Language
by Christopher W. Alexander • 1977
253 patterns for building, from city to doorknob, that let communities design places people love.
4.42
5k+
A Pattern Language Summary
A Pattern Language 87%
253 patterns for building, from city to doorknob, that let communities design places people love.
by Christopher W. Alexander 1977
4.42
5k+ ratings
Urban Acupuncture
by Jaime Lerner • 2003
Fast, precise interventions where a city hurts trigger chain reactions no master plan ever could.
3.66
490
Urban Acupuncture Summary
Urban Acupuncture 87%
Fast, precise interventions where a city hurts trigger chain reactions no master plan ever could.
by Jaime Lerner 2003
3.66
490 ratings
Against the smart city
by Adam Greenfield • 2013
Smart cities sell efficiency but deliver surveillance. The real operating system is people.
3.96
132
Against the smart city Summary
Against the smart city 87%
Smart cities sell efficiency but deliver surveillance. The real operating system is people.
by Adam Greenfield 2013
3.96
132 ratings
The Death and Life of Great American Cities
by Jane Jacobs • 1961
Slums with low crime and safe sidewalks: the invisible logic cities follow when planners look away.
4.29
20k+
The Death and Life of Great American Cities Summary
The Death and Life of Great American Cities 87%
Slums with low crime and safe sidewalks: the invisible logic cities follow when planners look away.
by Jane Jacobs 1961
4.29
20k+ ratings
Municipal Dreams
by John Boughton • 2018
Britain built some of the world's best public housing, then spent 40 years dismantling it.
3.92
769
Municipal Dreams Summary
Municipal Dreams 87%
Britain built some of the world's best public housing, then spent 40 years dismantling it.
by John Boughton 2018
3.92
769 ratings
The Poetics of Space
by Gaston Bachelard • 1957
Your childhood home is a blueprint of your mind: how cellars, attics, and corners form the psyche.
4.18
11k+
The Poetics of Space Summary
The Poetics of Space 87%
Your childhood home is a blueprint of your mind: how cellars, attics, and corners form the psyche.
by Gaston Bachelard 1957
4.18
11k+ ratings
At Home
by Bill Bryson • 2010
Every room in your house conceals a history of bloodshed, invention, and empire.
3.99
99k+
At Home Summary
At Home 86%
Every room in your house conceals a history of bloodshed, invention, and empire.
by Bill Bryson 2010
3.99
99k+ ratings
The Social Construction of Reality
by Peter L. Berger • 1966
The world you take for granted is built: how everyday talk, habit, and institutions make reality.
4.11
4k+
The Social Construction of Reality Summary
The Social Construction of Reality 86%
The world you take for granted is built: how everyday talk, habit, and institutions make reality.
by Peter L. Berger 1966
4.11
4k+ ratings
Places of the Heart
by Colin Ellard • 2010
How every space you enter, room, street, or screen, quietly rewires your brain.
3.58
680
Places of the Heart Summary
Places of the Heart 86%
How every space you enter, room, street, or screen, quietly rewires your brain.
by Colin Ellard 2010
3.58
680 ratings
Capital City
by Samuel Stein • 2019
Gentrification is not a market outcome. It is policy, written by the real estate industry.
3.92
2k+
Capital City Summary
Capital City 86%
Gentrification is not a market outcome. It is policy, written by the real estate industry.
by Samuel Stein 2019
3.92
2k+ ratings
The Just City
by Susan S. Fainstein • 2010
Stop asking if a city is growing. Start asking who it's growing for.
3.75
174
The Just City Summary
The Just City 86%
Stop asking if a city is growing. Start asking who it's growing for.
by Susan S. Fainstein 2010
3.75
174 ratings
Healthy Buildings
by Joseph G. Allen • 2020
You spend 72 years indoors. The air you breathe there has a balance sheet.
3.91
170
Healthy Buildings Summary
Healthy Buildings 86%
You spend 72 years indoors. The air you breathe there has a balance sheet.
by Joseph G. Allen 2020
3.91
170 ratings
Happy City
by Charles Montgomery • 2012
Sprawl isolates and exhausts. The evidence for repairing cities around human connection and joy.
4.36
10k+
Happy City Summary
Happy City 86%
Sprawl isolates and exhausts. The evidence for repairing cities around human connection and joy.
by Charles Montgomery 2012
4.36
10k+ ratings
Engineering in Plain Sight
by Grady Hillhouse • 2022
An illustrated field guide to the engineering secrets embedded in every street, pole, and bridge.
4.20
856
Engineering in Plain Sight Summary
Engineering in Plain Sight 86%
An illustrated field guide to the engineering secrets embedded in every street, pole, and bridge.
by Grady Hillhouse 2022
4.20
856 ratings
Speculative Everything
by Anthony Dunne • 2013
Most design fixes problems. This design invents fictional worlds to test-drive better ones.
4.12
999
Speculative Everything Summary
Speculative Everything 86%
Most design fixes problems. This design invents fictional worlds to test-drive better ones.
by Anthony Dunne 2013
4.12
999 ratings
The Architect's Studio Companion
by Edward Allen • 1995
Code-compliant shortcuts for sizing structures, HVAC, and egress before the math begins.
4.33
131
The Architect's Studio Companion Summary
The Architect's Studio Companion 86%
Code-compliant shortcuts for sizing structures, HVAC, and egress before the math begins.
by Edward Allen 1995
4.33
131 ratings
You Belong to the Universe
by Jonathan Keats • 2016
Buckminster Fuller never built a world-saving machine. He invented a way of thinking that could.
3.65
393
You Belong to the Universe Summary
You Belong to the Universe 86%
Buckminster Fuller never built a world-saving machine. He invented a way of thinking that could.
by Jonathan Keats 2016
3.65
393 ratings
Vital Little Plans
by Jane Jacobs • 2016
Top-down planning kills cities. The sidewalk sees what the drafting table never will.
4.21
186
Vital Little Plans Summary
Vital Little Plans 86%
Top-down planning kills cities. The sidewalk sees what the drafting table never will.
by Jane Jacobs 2016
4.21
186 ratings
The Sociology of Georg Simmel
by George Simmel • 1964
Why a secret, a stranger, and a two-person group reveal more about society than any institution.
3.90
73
The Sociology of Georg Simmel Summary
The Sociology of Georg Simmel 86%
Why a secret, a stranger, and a two-person group reveal more about society than any institution.
by George Simmel 1964
3.90
73 ratings
Liquid Times
by Zygmunt Bauman • 2007
The stable world of careers, communities, and safety nets is gone, replaced by a permanent churn.
3.87
2k+
Liquid Times Summary
Liquid Times 86%
The stable world of careers, communities, and safety nets is gone, replaced by a permanent churn.
by Zygmunt Bauman 2007
3.87
2k+ ratings
High-Rise
by J.G. Ballard • 1975
A luxury tower's residents transform into warring tribes, trapping a detached doctor seeking peace.
3.64
42k+
High-Rise Summary
High-Rise 86%
A luxury tower's residents transform into warring tribes, trapping a detached doctor seeking peace.
by J.G. Ballard 1975
3.64
42k+ ratings
On Power
by Robert A. Caro • 2017
How one man built a financial empire inside the government and became untouchable.
3.95
1k+
On Power Summary
On Power 86%
How one man built a financial empire inside the government and became untouchable.
by Robert A. Caro 2017
3.95
1k+ ratings
Sidewalk
by Mitchell Duneier • 1999
Some of the most disorderly figures on the sidewalk are also the ones preventing real crime.
4.15
2k+
Sidewalk Summary
Sidewalk 86%
Some of the most disorderly figures on the sidewalk are also the ones preventing real crime.
by Mitchell Duneier 1999
4.15
2k+ ratings
The Rise of the Creative Class
by Richard Florida • 2004
Jobs once followed factories. Now a class of creatives clusters in the most tolerant cities.
3.68
3k+
The Rise of the Creative Class Summary
The Rise of the Creative Class 86%
Jobs once followed factories. Now a class of creatives clusters in the most tolerant cities.
by Richard Florida 2004
3.68
3k+ ratings
Walkable City
by Jeff Speck • 2012
America's downtowns died for parking. The rules for bringing them back, starting at the curb.
4.32
9k+
Walkable City Summary
Walkable City 86%
America's downtowns died for parking. The rules for bringing them back, starting at the curb.
by Jeff Speck 2012
4.32
9k+ ratings
Boom Bust
by Fred Harrison • 1999
Land speculation drives the 18-year boom-bust cycle. The next crash already builds.
3.95
38
Boom Bust Summary
Boom Bust 86%
Land speculation drives the 18-year boom-bust cycle. The next crash already builds.
by Fred Harrison 1999
3.95
38 ratings
Tactical Urbanism
by Mike Lydon • 2014
How to hack your city with paint, planters, and pop-up parks, and prove change is possible now.
3.99
315
Tactical Urbanism Summary
Tactical Urbanism 86%
How to hack your city with paint, planters, and pop-up parks, and prove change is possible now.
by Mike Lydon 2014
3.99
315 ratings
Escaping the Housing Trap
by Charles L. Marohn Jr. • 2024
Housing can't be both affordable shelter and a good investment. That conflict is the trap.
4.37
503
Escaping the Housing Trap Summary
Escaping the Housing Trap 86%
Housing can't be both affordable shelter and a good investment. That conflict is the trap.
by Charles L. Marohn Jr. 2024
4.37
503 ratings
Triumph of the City
by Edward L. Glaeser • 2011
Poverty flocks to cities because cities are the escape route. The economic case for density.
3.91
6k+
Triumph of the City Summary
Triumph of the City 86%
Poverty flocks to cities because cities are the escape route. The economic case for density.
by Edward L. Glaeser 2011
3.91
6k+ ratings
Nowhere to Live
by James S. Burling • 2024
Why can't Americans afford homes? A century of rules made building them illegal.
4.00
12
Nowhere to Live Summary
Nowhere to Live 86%
Why can't Americans afford homes? A century of rules made building them illegal.
by James S. Burling 2024
4.00
12 ratings
The Smart Enough City
by Ben Green • 2019
Smart cities dress up political problems as engineering ones. The fix is governance, not gadgets.
4.12
208
The Smart Enough City Summary
The Smart Enough City 86%
Smart cities dress up political problems as engineering ones. The fix is governance, not gadgets.
by Ben Green 2019
4.12
208 ratings
Together
by Richard Sennett • 2011
The rituals and crafts that make cooperation possible are being dissolved by short-term capitalism.
3.81
469
Together Summary
Together 86%
The rituals and crafts that make cooperation possible are being dissolved by short-term capitalism.
by Richard Sennett 2011
3.81
469 ratings
Road to Nowhere
by Paris Marx • 2022
The tech-driven transportation future is a dead end. The real fix: fewer cars, better transit.
4.16
643
Road to Nowhere Summary
Road to Nowhere 86%
The tech-driven transportation future is a dead end. The real fix: fewer cars, better transit.
by Paris Marx 2022
4.16
643 ratings
The Economy of Cities
by Jane Jacobs • 1969
Cities didn't follow farms; farms followed cities. That reversal explains every economic boom.
4.09
1k+
The Economy of Cities Summary
The Economy of Cities 86%
Cities didn't follow farms; farms followed cities. That reversal explains every economic boom.
by Jane Jacobs 1969
4.09
1k+ ratings
Smart Cities
by Anthony M. Townsend • 2013
Corporations are selling smart cities. A movement of civic hackers has a better blueprint.
3.61
817
Smart Cities Summary
Smart Cities 86%
Corporations are selling smart cities. A movement of civic hackers has a better blueprint.
by Anthony M. Townsend 2013
3.61
817 ratings
Networks of New York
by Ingrid Burrington • 2016
Orange lines on the pavement mark fiber-optic cables: a field guide to the visible internet.
3.80
232
Networks of New York Summary
Networks of New York 86%
Orange lines on the pavement mark fiber-optic cables: a field guide to the visible internet.
by Ingrid Burrington 2016
3.80
232 ratings
Scale
by Geoffrey B. West • 2017
The same simple math governs your heartbeat, your city's growth, and your company's lifespan.
4.11
6k+
Scale Summary
Scale 86%
The same simple math governs your heartbeat, your city's growth, and your company's lifespan.
by Geoffrey B. West 2017
4.11
6k+ ratings
Curbing Traffic
by Melissa Bruntlett • 2021
Dutch cities prove removing cars heals loneliness, restores childhood, and makes everyone richer.
4.38
633
Curbing Traffic Summary
Curbing Traffic 86%
Dutch cities prove removing cars heals loneliness, restores childhood, and makes everyone richer.
by Melissa Bruntlett 2021
4.38
633 ratings
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