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SoBrief
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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 90%
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
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 89%
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
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 89%
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 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
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 89%
America's downtowns died for parking. The rules for bringing them back, starting at the curb.
by Jeff Speck 2012
4.32
9k+ 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 88%
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
Streetfight
by Janette Sadik-Khan • 2016
Paint, data, and political nerve: beating the car-first status quo.
4.26
2k+
Streetfight Summary
Streetfight 88%
Paint, data, and political nerve: beating the car-first status quo.
by Janette Sadik-Khan 2016
4.26
2k+ 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 88%
Dutch cities prove removing cars heals loneliness, restores childhood, and makes everyone richer.
by Melissa Bruntlett 2021
4.38
633 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 88%
Fast, precise interventions where a city hurts trigger chain reactions no master plan ever could.
by Jaime Lerner 2003
3.66
490 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 88%
253 patterns for building, from city to doorknob, that let communities design places people love.
by Christopher W. Alexander 1977
4.42
5k+ 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
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
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
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 88%
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
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
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
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
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 87%
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
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 87%
Sprawl isolates and exhausts. The evidence for repairing cities around human connection and joy.
by Charles Montgomery 2012
4.36
10k+ 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
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 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 87%
Smart cities dress up political problems as engineering ones. The fix is governance, not gadgets.
by Ben Green 2019
4.12
208 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 87%
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 87%
Corporations are selling smart cities. A movement of civic hackers has a better blueprint.
by Anthony M. Townsend 2013
3.61
817 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 87%
Progressivism has two souls: one builds, one stops. The stopper won, so nothing gets built.
by Marc J. Dunkelman 2025
3.79
1k+ 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 87%
Top-down planning kills cities. The sidewalk sees what the drafting table never will.
by Jane Jacobs 2016
4.21
186 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
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 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
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
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 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 87%
How one unelected man built New York, bulldozed entire communities, and answered to no one.
by Robert A. Caro 1974
4.53
30k+ 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
Living Forward
by Michael Hyatt • 2016
Drifting is a planning gap, not a character flaw. The one-day fix for reclaiming direction.
3.89
6k+
Living Forward Summary
Living Forward 86%
Drifting is a planning gap, not a character flaw. The one-day fix for reclaiming direction.
by Michael Hyatt 2016
3.89
6k+ 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 86%
American metros are inverting: affluence returns downtown, immigrants settle the suburbs.
by Alan Ehrenhalt 2012
3.77
678 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 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 86%
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 People’s Republic of Walmart
by Leigh Phillips • 2019
Big corporations already plan like socialist states. The final step is not computing but democracy.
3.88
2k+
The People’s Republic of Walmart Summary
The People’s Republic of Walmart 86%
Big corporations already plan like socialist states. The final step is not computing but democracy.
by Leigh Phillips 2019
3.88
2k+ 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 86%
38 million to 111 million: the spending shift that rebuilt a town.
by Matthew Brown 2021
3.71
173 ratings
Seeing Like a State
by James C. Scott • 1998
Why grand state plans fail: the same simplifications that make society governable make it fragile.
4.21
7k+
Seeing Like a State Summary
Seeing Like a State 86%
Why grand state plans fail: the same simplifications that make society governable make it fragile.
by James C. Scott 1998
4.21
7k+ 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
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 86%
Homelessness rates don't track mental illness or poverty. They track rent and vacancy rates.
by Gregg Colburn 2022
4.21
1k+ 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
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
How to Thrive in the Next Economy
by John Thackara • 2015
A design movement is ditching ‘less harm’ for an economy that restores soil, water, and community.
3.78
246
How to Thrive in the Next Economy Summary
How to Thrive in the Next Economy 86%
A design movement is ditching ‘less harm’ for an economy that restores soil, water, and community.
by John Thackara 2015
3.78
246 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 86%
The hidden networks you rely on were built for a climate that no longer exists.
by Deb Chachra 2023
3.64
937 ratings
Why Cities Lose
by Jonathan A. Rodden • 2019
The left's real problem isn't gerrymandering: its voters are packed into cities.
3.78
252
Why Cities Lose Summary
Why Cities Lose 86%
The left's real problem isn't gerrymandering: its voters are packed into cities.
by Jonathan A. Rodden 2019
3.78
252 ratings
Population 10 Billion
by Danny Dorling • 2013
We may never reach 10 billion people. The real threat is inequality, not numbers.
3.40
186
Population 10 Billion Summary
Population 10 Billion 86%
We may never reach 10 billion people. The real threat is inequality, not numbers.
by Danny Dorling 2013
3.40
186 ratings
Who's Your City?
by Richard Florida • 2008
Forty regions hold two-thirds of the world's wealth. Your zip code now outweighs your resume.
3.46
2k+
Who's Your City? Summary
Who's Your City? 86%
Forty regions hold two-thirds of the world's wealth. Your zip code now outweighs your resume.
by Richard Florida 2008
3.46
2k+ 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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