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.
“Superforecasting” by Philip E. Tetlock and Dan Gardner
The Art and Science of Prediction The theory, simply put, is that an organized collection of well-informed people can predict […]
“Survival of the City: Living and Thriving in an Age of Isolation”
by Edward Glaeser and David Cutler From Amazon….“Cities can make us sick. They always have—diseases spread more easily when more […]
“Sustainable Urbanism, Urban Design with Nature” by Douglas Farr
Mr. Farr has done a great service by linking sustainability and the New Urbanism. Of particular interest are the five attributes of […]
“Sustaining a City’s Culture and Character” by Charles R. Wolfe
Somewhere, between character and caricature, there exists an authentic–a truly unique–urban place, that blends global and local, old and new. […]
“The Affordable City” by Shane Phillips
From Los Angeles to Boston and Chicago to Miami, US cities are struggling to address the twin crises of high […]
“The Art of the Long View, Planning for the Future in an Uncertain World” by Peter Schwartz
Peter Schwartz has written a book that benefits every futurist. The subtitle, “Planning for the Future in an Uncertain World” describes the […]
“The Character of Towns, An Approach to Conservation” by Roy Worskett
Summary The Character of Towns, though written nearly fifty years ago, offers many great ideas and examples for preserving and enhancing small […]
“The Company Town, The Industrial Edens and Satanic Mills that Shaped the American Economy” by Hardy Green
This is a big book. Story after story of exploitive towns, utopian towns, satellite industrial towns, and towns dominated, but […]
“The Excellence Dividend” by Tom Peters
Meeting the Tech Tide with Work That Wows and Jobs That Last The inimitable Tom Peters has produced another thought […]
“The Firm, The Story of McKinsey and its Influence on American Business” by Duff McDonald
Purpose of the Firm. A book about a business consulting firm may seem off-point to the creation of a knowledge […]