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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 92%
Dutch cities prove removing cars heals loneliness, restores childhood, and makes everyone richer.
by Melissa Bruntlett 2021
4.38
633 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 92%
The tech-driven transportation future is a dead end. The real fix: fewer cars, better transit.
by Paris Marx 2022
4.16
643 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 91%
America's downtowns died for parking. The rules for bringing them back, starting at the curb.
by Jeff Speck 2012
4.32
9k+ ratings
Life After Cars
by Sarah Goodyear • 2025
The cost of car dependency is hidden in plain sight. What happens when we build for people instead?
4.26
1k+
Life After Cars Summary
Life After Cars 91%
The cost of car dependency is hidden in plain sight. What happens when we build for people instead?
by Sarah Goodyear 2025
4.26
1k+ 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 91%
Fast, precise interventions where a city hurts trigger chain reactions no master plan ever could.
by Jaime Lerner 2003
3.66
490 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 90%
Sprawl isolates and exhausts. The evidence for repairing cities around human connection and joy.
by Charles Montgomery 2012
4.36
10k+ ratings
The Option of Urbanism
by Christopher B. Leinberger • 2007
America's car suburbs were built by policy, not consumer choice. The market now wants the opposite.
3.89
185
The Option of Urbanism Summary
The Option of Urbanism 90%
America's car suburbs were built by policy, not consumer choice. The market now wants the opposite.
by Christopher B. Leinberger 2007
3.89
185 ratings
Streetfight
by Janette Sadik-Khan • 2016
Paint, data, and political nerve: beating the car-first status quo.
4.26
2k+
Streetfight Summary
Streetfight 90%
Paint, data, and political nerve: beating the car-first status quo.
by Janette Sadik-Khan 2016
4.26
2k+ 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 90%
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
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 89%
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
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 89%
Top-down planning kills cities. The sidewalk sees what the drafting table never will.
by Jane Jacobs 2016
4.21
186 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 89%
Slums with low crime and safe sidewalks: the invisible logic cities follow when planners look away.
by Jane Jacobs 1961
4.29
20k+ 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 89%
Smart cities sell efficiency but deliver surveillance. The real operating system is people.
by Adam Greenfield 2013
3.96
132 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 89%
Smart cities dress up political problems as engineering ones. The fix is governance, not gadgets.
by Ben Green 2019
4.12
208 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 88%
Corporations are selling smart cities. A movement of civic hackers has a better blueprint.
by Anthony M. Townsend 2013
3.61
817 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
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 88%
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
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 88%
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 88%
The slums and squatter towers of Latin America are the world's most daring urban experiments.
by Justin McGuirk 2014
4.27
434 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 88%
Poverty flocks to cities because cities are the escape route. The economic case for density.
by Edward L. Glaeser 2011
3.91
6k+ ratings
No Impact Man
by Colin Beavan • 2009
90 gallons of trash in 4 days: a Manhattan family aims for zero, for a year.
3.78
5k+
No Impact Man Summary
No Impact Man 88%
90 gallons of trash in 4 days: a Manhattan family aims for zero, for a year.
by Colin Beavan 2009
3.78
5k+ 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
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 87%
The young craving for purity is architecting our cities into sterile, segregated cages.
by Richard Sennett 1970
3.88
258 ratings
The Great Inversion and the Future of the American City
by Alan Ehrenhalt • 2012
American metros are inverting: affluence returns downtown, immigrants settle the suburbs.
3.77
678
The Great Inversion and the Future of the American City Summary
The Great Inversion and the Future of the American City 87%
American metros are inverting: affluence returns downtown, immigrants settle the suburbs.
by Alan Ehrenhalt 2012
3.77
678 ratings
How Infrastructure Works
by Deb Chachra • 2023
The hidden networks you rely on were built for a climate that no longer exists.
3.64
937
How Infrastructure Works Summary
How Infrastructure Works 87%
The hidden networks you rely on were built for a climate that no longer exists.
by Deb Chachra 2023
3.64
937 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 87%
Stop asking if a city is growing. Start asking who it's growing for.
by Susan S. Fainstein 2010
3.75
174 ratings
The Great Reset
by Richard Florida • 2010
Crashes rebuild how we live. Two gave us factories and suburbs. The third is remaking cities.
3.59
656
The Great Reset Summary
The Great Reset 87%
Crashes rebuild how we live. Two gave us factories and suburbs. The third is remaking cities.
by Richard Florida 2010
3.59
656 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 87%
Jobs once followed factories. Now a class of creatives clusters in the most tolerant cities.
by Richard Florida 2004
3.68
3k+ 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
Drawdown
by Paul Hawken • 2017
100 existing solutions, modeled and ranked: the plan to reverse global warming is already here.
4.40
4k+
Drawdown Summary
Drawdown 87%
100 existing solutions, modeled and ranked: the plan to reverse global warming is already here.
by Paul Hawken 2017
4.40
4k+ ratings
Zoned in the USA
by Sonia A. Hirt • 2014
The detached home with its own yard is globally rare. American zoning manufactured it at scale.
4.01
136
Zoned in the USA Summary
Zoned in the USA 87%
The detached home with its own yard is globally rare. American zoning manufactured it at scale.
by Sonia A. Hirt 2014
4.01
136 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 Buy Nothing, Get Everything Plan
by Liesl Clark • 2020
A no-shopping plan that saves money, cuts waste, and turns neighbors into your best resource.
3.44
2k+
The Buy Nothing, Get Everything Plan Summary
The Buy Nothing, Get Everything Plan 87%
A no-shopping plan that saves money, cuts waste, and turns neighbors into your best resource.
by Liesl Clark 2020
3.44
2k+ ratings
Glimpses of Utopia
by Jess Scully • 2020
A fair society is not theoretical. Its pieces are already running in cities across the world.
3.97
110
Glimpses of Utopia Summary
Glimpses of Utopia 87%
A fair society is not theoretical. Its pieces are already running in cities across the world.
by Jess Scully 2020
3.97
110 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 87%
How one man built a financial empire inside the government and became untouchable.
by Robert A. Caro 2017
3.95
1k+ ratings
From What Is to What If
by Rob Hopkins • 2019
Our collective imagination is collapsing. The remedy: less screen time, more play, better questions.
4.31
1k+
From What Is to What If Summary
From What Is to What If 87%
Our collective imagination is collapsing. The remedy: less screen time, more play, better questions.
by Rob Hopkins 2019
4.31
1k+ 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 87%
Why can't Americans afford homes? A century of rules made building them illegal.
by James S. Burling 2024
4.00
12 ratings
Paint Your Town Red
by Matthew Brown • 2021
38 million to 111 million: the spending shift that rebuilt a town.
3.71
173
Paint Your Town Red Summary
Paint Your Town Red 87%
38 million to 111 million: the spending shift that rebuilt a town.
by Matthew Brown 2021
3.71
173 ratings
The Road Taken
by Henry Petroski • 2016
The $121 billion congestion tax: what the history of pavement says about fixing America's roads.
3.44
529
The Road Taken Summary
The Road Taken 87%
The $121 billion congestion tax: what the history of pavement says about fixing America's roads.
by Henry Petroski 2016
3.44
529 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
This Land Is Our Land
by Ken Ilgunas • 2018
America once roamed freely across private land. Europe has the rules that could bring that back.
4.01
330
This Land Is Our Land Summary
This Land Is Our Land 86%
America once roamed freely across private land. Europe has the rules that could bring that back.
by Ken Ilgunas 2018
4.01
330 ratings
The Network State
by Balaji S. Srinivasan • 2022
Startup companies become unicorns. What if startup communities become countries?
3.92
1k+
The Network State Summary
The Network State 86%
Startup companies become unicorns. What if startup communities become countries?
by Balaji S. Srinivasan 2022
3.92
1k+ ratings
Trespassing Across America
by Ken Ilgunas • 2016
He walked the Keystone XL pipeline illegally. The land and its people changed him.
3.82
2k+
Trespassing Across America Summary
Trespassing Across America 86%
He walked the Keystone XL pipeline illegally. The land and its people changed him.
by Ken Ilgunas 2016
3.82
2k+ 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
Fully Automated Luxury Communism
by Aaron Bastani • 2018
Technology is ending scarcity. The real question is who gets to own the abundance.
3.68
3k+
Fully Automated Luxury Communism Summary
Fully Automated Luxury Communism 86%
Technology is ending scarcity. The real question is who gets to own the abundance.
by Aaron Bastani 2018
3.68
3k+ 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
Why Nothing Works
by Marc J. Dunkelman • 2025
Progressivism has two souls: one builds, one stops. The stopper won, so nothing gets built.
3.79
1k+
Why Nothing Works Summary
Why Nothing Works 86%
Progressivism has two souls: one builds, one stops. The stopper won, so nothing gets built.
by Marc J. Dunkelman 2025
3.79
1k+ ratings
The Green New Deal
by Jeremy Rifkin • 2019
The fossil-fuel economy is a bubble. Green tech will pop it by 2028.
3.68
812
The Green New Deal Summary
The Green New Deal 86%
The fossil-fuel economy is a bubble. Green tech will pop it by 2028.
by Jeremy Rifkin 2019
3.68
812 ratings
City of Gold
by Jim Krane • 2009
Dubai's skyline was built by men who will never be allowed to call it home.
3.97
776
City of Gold Summary
City of Gold 86%
Dubai's skyline was built by men who will never be allowed to call it home.
by Jim Krane 2009
3.97
776 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
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