City Planning History

During the Roaring Twenties, two of the most revered and influential men in American business proposed to transform one of the country’s poorest regions into a dream technological metropolis, a shining paradise of small farms, giant factories, and sparkling laboratories. Henry Ford and Thomas Edison’s “Detroit of the South” would be 10 times the size of Manhattan, powered by renewable energy, and free of air pollution. And it would reshape American society.

A monumental tale of American ambition, told by Pulitzer Prize–winning author and master historian David McCullough. This gripping saga of the creation of the Brooklyn Bridge, one of the country’s boldest engineering achievements, reveals not only the politics and personalities behind...

When Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Bill Dedman noticed in 2009 a grand home for sale, unoccupied for nearly sixty years, he stumbled through a surprising portal into American history. Empty Mansions is a rich mystery of wealth and loss, connecting the Gilded Age opulence of the nineteenth...

Jane Jacobs and the Human City: Exploring the Principles of Human-Centered Urban Design is a powerful exploration of one of the most influential urban thinkers of the twentieth century. Jane Jacobs changed the way the world understands cities by insisting that real urban vitality comes from people—their interactions, diversity, and daily lives—not from abstract blueprints or top-down planning. This book introduces Jacobs’s life and legacy while connecting her ideas to the modern framework of human-centered design. From her defense of sidewalks and public spaces to her critique of ...

NATIONAL BESTSELLER From the hosts of The War on Cars podcast, a searing indictment of how cars ruin everything—and what we can do to fight back When the very first cars rolled off production lines, they were a technological marvel, predicted to make life easier and better for all Americans...

A Story of Loss, Resilience, and Rebirth What happens when an entire city drowns — and still finds the courage to rise again? On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina ripped through the Gulf Coast and shattered New Orleans. Levees broke. Families fled. Entire neighborhoods disappeared beneath toxic floodwaters. For days, the world watched as America’s most vibrant city nearly ceased to exist. But this is not just a story of destruction. It’s a story of humanity, resilience, and a community that refused to let its culture die. Inside, you’ll discover: The full scope of the disaster — ...

NATIONAL BESTSELLER “A comprehensive, entertaining, and compelling argument for how rebuilding social infrastructure can help heal divisions in our society and move us forward.”—Jon Stewart NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR “Engaging.”—Mayor Pete Buttigieg, The...

A monumental tale of American ambition, told by Pulitzer Prize–winning author and master historian David McCullough. This gripping saga of the creation of the Brooklyn Bridge, one of the country’s boldest engineering achievements, reveals not only the politics and personalities behind...

“There's much to take in, and Madrigal's zeal gives the audiobook momentum.”—AudioFile This audiobook, written and read by Alexis Madrigal, reveals how understanding Oakland explains the modern world. In The Pacific Circuit, the award-winning journalist Alexis Madrigal sculpts an intricate...

From the Haitian-style “shotgun” houses of the 19th century to the lavish high-rises of the 21st century, a walk through the streets of America’s neighborhoods that reveals the rich history—and future—of urban housing The Philadelphia row house. The New York tenement. The Boston...

A Time 100 Must-Read Book of 2020 A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice California Book Award Silver Medal in Nonfiction Finalist for The New York Public Library Helen Bernstein Book Award for Excellence in Journalism Named a top 30 must-read Book of 2020 by the New York...

In Draining New Orleans, renowned geographer Richard Campanella recounts the epic challenges and ingenious efforts to dewater the Crescent City. With forays into geography, public health, engineering, architecture, politics, sociology, race relations, and disaster response, he chronicles the herculean attempts to "reclaim" the city's swamps and marshes and install subsurface drainage for massive urban expansion.

“Expansive and entertaining. . . . [A] fast-paced and highly readable journey . . . the book serves as a useful tool in the effort to redefine the role of the city in an age of increasingly polarized politics, and reminds us that urban health is—as Fiorello La Guardia once remarked about...

From four-term Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett, a hopeful and illuminating look at the dynamic and inventive urban centers that will lead the United States in coming years. Oklahoma City. Indianapolis. Charleston. Des Moines. What do these cities have in common? They are cities of modest size...

The first European settlers saw America as a paradise regained. The continent seemed to offer a God-given opportunity to start again and build the perfect community. Those messianic days are gone. But as Alex Krieger argues in City on a Hill, any attempt at deep understanding of how the country has developed must recognize the persistent and dramatic consequences of utopian dreaming. Even as ideals have changed, idealism itself has for better and worse shaped our world of bricks and mortar, macadam, parks, and farmland.

Author Thomas Healy resurrects a forgotten saga of race, capitalism, and the struggle for equality in this fascinating, forgotten story of the 1970s attempt to build a city dedicated to racial equality in the heart of “Klan Country”.

What if one of the most important inventions in modern history was something we barely notice? We hurry beneath them. We wait beside them. We watch them change without thinking. Yet traffic lights shape our cities, our commutes, our neighborhoods, and the way we share space with strangers. In Red, Yellow, Green: How Traffic Lights Tamed the Streets and Shaped Modern Cities, we step into the surprisingly dramatic story of how these three glowing colors came to govern the movement of the world. Before traffic lights, city streets were unruly and unpredictable. Horses, streetcars, pedestrians,...

From “tomorrow’s greatest designer” (The Atlantic), a personal and deeply researched look at how the choices we build into our environment reflect and determine the way we think, connect, and live. We've been led to believe that purposefully designed spaces are something reserved only for...

Since the East India Company merged seven islands into Bombay (now Mumbai), change has been constant-but now it is used as a weapon for displacement, disguised as development. Slums are erased overnight to make way for luxury towers priced in tens of crores. The working class is pushed to the...

Are you planning a trip to Tucson but want a unique experience of what to do? Tucson is one of the most remarkable and magical cities in the Southwest. With a rich history, stunning landscapes, heavenly skies, and irresistible cuisine, it's no wonder you're considering a trip to the Old Pueblo. This book is a curated collection of what I consider to be the best places, accommodations, eateries, and activities for those seeking an exceptional and different travel experience. What you'll find in this guide... The convenience of easy transportation within the city. Special accommodations that ...