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.
Teach Yourself Sociology by Stephen Moore with Stephen P. Sinclair
Sociology is an incredibly important discipline in and of itself, but it is an especially important allied profession for the […]
Ten Principles for Rebuilding Neighborhood Retail by Michael D. Beyard, Michael Pawlukiewicz, and Alex Bond
EXCERPT… “Over the past five decades, retailing in urban neighborhoods has hollowed out, leaving most cities and inner-ring suburbs with […]
Ten Principles for Reinventing America’s Suburban Strips by Michael D. Beyard and Michael Pawlukiewicz
The Mission. The ugly, marginalized, dangerous commercial corridors found in almost every town in America are valuable assets waiting to […]
The Age of Spiritual Machines, When Computers Exceed Human Intelligence by Ray Kurzweil
Ray Kurzweil is one of our best thinkers about artificial intelligence. The Age of Spiritual Machines, while 20 years old, presents Kurzweil’s […]
The Architectural Pattern Book: A Tool for Building Great Neighborhoods by Urban Design Associates
This manual documents the revival of the traditional architectural pattern book as a means of implementing urban design. Books available […]
The Art of the Long View; Planning for the Future in an Uncertain World
The Art of the Long View is all about scenario planning. The Art of the Long View by Peter Schwartz is […]
The Big Nine. How the Tech Titans & Their Thinking Machine Could Warp Humanity by Amy Webb
Implications for the American City. Artificial Intelligence [AI] is, and will continue to, inculcate every aspect of human endeavors. While […]
The Birth of City Planning in the United States,1840 – 1917.
The Birth of City Planning [2003] by Jon A. Peterson is an interesting take on the American planning profession. He recounts its […]
The City Beautiful Movement by William H. Wilson
From CT.org…Like many movements and theories, they are forced into an all or nothing mode; often rejected because “all” is […]
The City in History; Its Origins, Its Transformations, and Its Prospects.
The City in History [1961] provides the basis for modern city planning. It is one of the ‘oldies but goodies’ […]