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SoBrief
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How to Kill a City
by Peter Moskowitz • 2017
Four cities, one playbook: policy and profit, not hipsters, push out the poor and replace them.
4.07
4k+
How to Kill a City Summary
How to Kill a City 90%
Four cities, one playbook: policy and profit, not hipsters, push out the poor and replace them.
by Peter Moskowitz 2017
4.07
4k+ 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 90%
Gentrification is not a market outcome. It is policy, written by the real estate industry.
by Samuel Stein 2019
3.92
2k+ ratings
The New Urban Crisis
by Richard Florida • 2017
Why urban revival is driving inequality and pushing out the middle class.
3.49
1k+
The New Urban Crisis Summary
The New Urban Crisis 89%
Why urban revival is driving inequality and pushing out the middle class.
by Richard Florida 2017
3.49
1k+ ratings
All That Is Solid
by Danny Dorling • 2014
Britain has a third more bedrooms than people. The housing disaster is engineered, not inevitable.
3.55
144
All That Is Solid Summary
All That Is Solid 89%
Britain has a third more bedrooms than people. The housing disaster is engineered, not inevitable.
by Danny Dorling 2014
3.55
144 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 88%
Why can't Americans afford homes? A century of rules made building them illegal.
by James S. Burling 2024
4.00
12 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 88%
The stable world of careers, communities, and safety nets is gone, replaced by a permanent churn.
by Zygmunt Bauman 2007
3.87
2k+ ratings
Rebel Cities
by David Harvey • 2012
Capitalism doesn't just happen in cities. It happens through them, and the rent is coming due.
3.92
2k+
Rebel Cities Summary
Rebel Cities 88%
Capitalism doesn't just happen in cities. It happens through them, and the rent is coming due.
by David Harvey 2012
3.92
2k+ 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 88%
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 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
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 87%
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
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
American Apartheid
by Douglas S. Massey • 1993
The ghetto was engineered. Segregation, not class or culture, makes black poverty permanent.
4.13
2k+
American Apartheid Summary
American Apartheid 87%
The ghetto was engineered. Segregation, not class or culture, makes black poverty permanent.
by Douglas S. Massey 1993
4.13
2k+ 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
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 87%
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
The Night Always Comes
by Willy Vlautin • 2021
A Portland waitress has one night to make a down payment or her family loses everything.
3.83
7k+
The Night Always Comes Summary
The Night Always Comes 87%
A Portland waitress has one night to make a down payment or her family loses everything.
by Willy Vlautin 2021
3.83
7k+ ratings
Poverty, by America
by Matthew Desmond • 2023
Poverty in America persists by design, fueled by exploitation and welfare that flows to the top.
4.27
64k+
Poverty, by America Summary
Poverty, by America 87%
Poverty in America persists by design, fueled by exploitation and welfare that flows to the top.
by Matthew Desmond 2023
4.27
64k+ ratings
Gaffs
by Rory Hearne • 2022
Why Ireland's housing crisis is not a market failure but a government strategy to enrich investors.
3.52
171
Gaffs Summary
Gaffs 87%
Why Ireland's housing crisis is not a market failure but a government strategy to enrich investors.
by Rory Hearne 2022
3.52
171 ratings
Ghetto
by Mitchell Duneier • 2015
The ghetto was built in Venice. It took 500 years for America to perfect it.
3.75
583
Ghetto Summary
Ghetto 87%
The ghetto was built in Venice. It took 500 years for America to perfect it.
by Mitchell Duneier 2015
3.75
583 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
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 87%
The tech-driven transportation future is a dead end. The real fix: fewer cars, better transit.
by Paris Marx 2022
4.16
643 ratings
Homelessness Is a Housing Problem
by Gregg Colburn • 2022
Homelessness rates don't track mental illness or poverty. They track rent and vacancy rates.
4.21
1k+
Homelessness Is a Housing Problem Summary
Homelessness Is a Housing Problem 87%
Homelessness rates don't track mental illness or poverty. They track rent and vacancy rates.
by Gregg Colburn 2022
4.21
1k+ 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
Evicted
by Matthew Desmond • 2016
Poverty isn't the cause of eviction. Eviction is the cause of poverty, and the market profits.
4.47
115k+
Evicted Summary
Evicted 87%
Poverty isn't the cause of eviction. Eviction is the cause of poverty, and the market profits.
by Matthew Desmond 2016
4.47
115k+ ratings
Our Lives in Their Portfolios
by Brett Christophers • 2023
The invisible firms that bought your apartment, your toll road, and your power grid.
4.00
303
Our Lives in Their Portfolios Summary
Our Lives in Their Portfolios 87%
The invisible firms that bought your apartment, your toll road, and your power grid.
by Brett Christophers 2023
4.00
303 ratings
The Origins of the Urban Crisis
by Thomas J. Sugrue • 1996
Detroit collapsed from job loss and housing segregation decades before the 1967 riot finished it.
4.24
2k+
The Origins of the Urban Crisis Summary
The Origins of the Urban Crisis 87%
Detroit collapsed from job loss and housing segregation decades before the 1967 riot finished it.
by Thomas J. Sugrue 1996
4.24
2k+ 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
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 87%
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
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 87%
A city is two things: physical form and lived experience. Ethical design puts the second first.
by Richard Sennett 2018
4.02
983 ratings
Invisible Child
by Andrea Elliott • 2021
Born homeless in Brooklyn, Dasani gets one shot: a boarding school that accepts one in ten.
4.70
20k+
Invisible Child Summary
Invisible Child 87%
Born homeless in Brooklyn, Dasani gets one shot: a boarding school that accepts one in ten.
by Andrea Elliott 2021
4.70
20k+ ratings
The Velvet Rope Economy
by Nelson D. Schwartz • 2020
From fast passes to private firefighters, a new tier of everything is carving society in two.
4.08
1k+
The Velvet Rope Economy Summary
The Velvet Rope Economy 87%
From fast passes to private firefighters, a new tier of everything is carving society in two.
by Nelson D. Schwartz 2020
4.08
1k+ ratings
Where We Stand
by bell hooks • 2000
Feminism and antiracism won't succeed until they confront the thing they most ignore: class.
4.24
3k+
Where We Stand Summary
Where We Stand 87%
Feminism and antiracism won't succeed until they confront the thing they most ignore: class.
by bell hooks 2000
4.24
3k+ 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
The Promised Land
by Nicholas Lemann • 1991
The mechanical cotton picker displaced millions, and the cities they fled to were never the same.
4.24
798
The Promised Land Summary
The Promised Land 87%
The mechanical cotton picker displaced millions, and the cities they fled to were never the same.
by Nicholas Lemann 1991
4.24
798 ratings
The Coming of Neo-Feudalism
by Joel Kotkin • 2020
Tech oligarchs and a new elite justify their rule; the middle class becomes the peasantry.
3.57
872
The Coming of Neo-Feudalism Summary
The Coming of Neo-Feudalism 87%
Tech oligarchs and a new elite justify their rule; the middle class becomes the peasantry.
by Joel Kotkin 2020
3.57
872 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
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
Behind the Green Mask
by Rosa Koire • 2011
A veteran appraiser found that green policies are a UN blueprint to abolish private property.
4.28
365
Behind the Green Mask Summary
Behind the Green Mask 87%
A veteran appraiser found that green policies are a UN blueprint to abolish private property.
by Rosa Koire 2011
4.28
365 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
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 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
Justice at Work
by Marc Doussard • 2022
How coalitions fuse racial and economic justice to win policy in cities.
5.00
3
Justice at Work Summary
Justice at Work 86%
How coalitions fuse racial and economic justice to win policy in cities.
by Marc Doussard 2022
5.00
3 ratings
Gang Leader for a Day
by Sudhir Venkatesh • 2008
A sociologist ran a Chicago gang for a day. The books were cleaner than he expected.
4.07
26k+
Gang Leader for a Day Summary
Gang Leader for a Day 86%
A sociologist ran a Chicago gang for a day. The books were cleaner than he expected.
by Sudhir Venkatesh 2008
4.07
26k+ ratings
Shattered Nation
by Danny Dorling • 2023
Beneath every British crisis lies a map of inequality decades in the making.
3.97
119
Shattered Nation Summary
Shattered Nation 86%
Beneath every British crisis lies a map of inequality decades in the making.
by Danny Dorling 2023
3.97
119 ratings
The Myth of Santa Fe
by Chris Wilson • 1997
Santa Fe's adobe charm is a twentieth-century invention, built to attract tourists and new money.
3.87
69
The Myth of Santa Fe Summary
The Myth of Santa Fe 86%
Santa Fe's adobe charm is a twentieth-century invention, built to attract tourists and new money.
by Chris Wilson 1997
3.87
69 ratings
Ain't No Makin' It
by Jay MacLeod • 2008
One group believed hard work would save them; the other didn't. Class position decided their fates.
4.07
1k+
Ain't No Makin' It Summary
Ain't No Makin' It 86%
One group believed hard work would save them; the other didn't. Class position decided their fates.
by Jay MacLeod 2008
4.07
1k+ ratings
The Power Broker
by Robert A. Caro • 1974
How one unelected man built New York, bulldozed entire communities, and answered to no one.
4.53
30k+
The Power Broker Summary
The Power Broker 86%
How one unelected man built New York, bulldozed entire communities, and answered to no one.
by Robert A. Caro 1974
4.53
30k+ 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 86%
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
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
A Pelican Introduction
by Mike Savage • 2015
Three hidden currencies now define British class, and only one appears on a payslip.
4.06
546
A Pelican Introduction Summary
A Pelican Introduction 86%
Three hidden currencies now define British class, and only one appears on a payslip.
by Mike Savage 2015
4.06
546 ratings
Broke, USA
by Gary Rivlin • 2010
How pawnshops and payday lenders turned the working poor into a multi-billion dollar market.
3.71
1k+
Broke, USA Summary
Broke, USA 86%
How pawnshops and payday lenders turned the working poor into a multi-billion dollar market.
by Gary Rivlin 2010
3.71
1k+ ratings
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