[the dude]

I’d like this thread to act as a forum for people to recommend books relating to urban, political or environmental issues.

I read constantly for both work and pleasure and I’m often at a loss for what to read next. If you’ve read something interesting please leave a note of it here.

I’ll get things started with some titles I’ve read in the past few months.

1. Kunstler, James Howard. “The Geography of Nowhere”
Themes: sprawl, architecture, cities.

2. ---. “Home From Nowhere”
Themes: cities, architecture, renewal.

3. ---. “The City in Mind”
Synopsis: a study of Paris, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Rome…etc.

4. ---. “The Long Emergency”
Themes: oil, climate change, cities

*Kunstler’s books are not only informative but enjoyable. He’s funny, knowledgeable and just a little angry: a great combination for a writer of this genre.

5. Crawford, J.H. “Carfree Cities”
Themes: cities, public transportation, public space

6. Alexander, Christopher. “A New Theory of Urban Design”
Synopsis: Alexander and his students attempt to create a neighbourhood using an incremental, organic theory of design.

7. Safdie, Moshe. “The City After the Automobile”
Themes: sprawl, cities, automobiles

8. McGregor, James H.S. “Venice From the Ground Up”
Synopsis: The history and evolution of Venice.

9. Lovelock, James. “The Revenge of Gaia”
Themes: environment, climate change, energy

10. Klein, Naomi. “The Shock Doctrine”
Themes: free market economics, politics, war

[raisethehammer]

gee, if we could somehow get city council to read through that book list, we might actually get somewhere.
Maybe we could send them free copies with fake covers so they'll actually read them. Some cover ideas: "How to Attract Walmart", "Highways 101", "Get Rid of Those Pesky Farmers", and my personal favourite: "How to Turn Your City into a Donut: And Keep Getting Elected".

[highwater]

My latest faves:

Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder, by Richard Louv

Preserving the World's Great Cities: The Destruction and Renewal of the Historic Metropolis, by Anthony Tung