BOOK REVIEWS
Books are important. CharacterTowns.org selects and discusses current publications and works from previous generations that still hold wisdom for contemporary city-building. The review also includes published reviews and Youtube links to discussions by or about the author. Books are selected from the attached Suggested Readings.
Citistates: How Urban America Can Prosper in a Competitive World by Neal R. Peirce with Curtis W. Johnson and John Stuart Hall
Summary. Peirce, Johnson and Hall resurrect a concept from the past, the concept of city-states with a history that starts with […]
City of the Century: the Epic of Chicago and the Making of America.
The City of the Century focuses on Chicago from “the founding” to “the fire” to “the fair” to the First […]
Community and the Politics of Place
Community and the Politics of Place by Daniel Kemmis [1990] reflects the authors orientation and base of thought coming from […]
Community Character: Principles for Design and Planning
Community Character: Principles for Design and Planning by Lane H. Kendig with Bret C. Keast, [Island Press, Washington, 187 pages, 2010] […]
Confessions of a Recovering Engineer: Transportation for a Strong Town
by Charles L. Marohn Jr. From the Back Cover, from Amazon… “The costs of the North American transportation system are too […]
Creating a Vibrant City Center, Urban Design and Regeneration Principles
by Cy Paumier Creating a Vibrant City Center is a tour de force, a comprehensive discussion of the processes and products […]
Creative Placemaking
from Urban Land Institute Report Summary: Creative placemaking, or leveraging art and culture in tandem with great design, is a […]
Cycling for Sustainable Cities
Edited by Ralph Buehler and John Pucher, The MIT Press, 2021. “Cycling is the most sustainable means of urban travel, […]
Design Downtown For Women (Men Will Follow) by David Feehan, Drew McLellan, Sheila Grant, Carol Becker.
“Today, women in both business and leisure,have a critical influence on the success of a downtown area. What are the […]
Design of Cities: Revised Edition by Edmund N. Bacon
Character town planning benefits from Mr. Bacon’s work. Design of Cities is the book one should read when starting a career […]