City Design

After smartphones, smart TVs, smart windows, and other smart products on the horizon, smart cities were the next logical step in trying to create a better, brighter, more sustainable, and economically sound future. A relatively new term, smart cities conjures images of a cooperative, wired, prosperous utopia where citizens of all classes achieve a high quality of life. In this audiobook, we look at the qualities needed for future cities to survive and thrive.

After decades of unchecked sprawl, more people than ever are moving back to the city. Dense urban living has been prescribed as a panacea for the environmental and resource crises of our time. But is it better or worse for our happiness? Are subways, sidewalks, and tower dwelling improvements on the car dependence of sprawl?

Urban planning is a craft learned through practice. Planners make rapid decisions that have an immediate impact on the ground - the width of streets, the minimum size of land parcels, the heights of buildings. The language they use to describe their objectives is qualitative - “sustainable,” “livable,” “resilient” - often with no link to measurable outcomes. Urban economics, on the other hand, is a quantitative science, based on theories, models, and empirical evidence largely developed in academic settings.

How Real Estate Developers Think considers developers from three different perspectives. Brown profiles the careers of individual developers to illustrate the character of the entrepreneur; considers the roles played by innovation, design, marketing, and sales in the production of real estate; and examines the risks and rewards that motivate developers as people.

99% Invisible is a big-ideas podcast about small-seeming things, revealing stories baked into the buildings we inhabit, the streets we drive, and the sidewalks we traverse. The show celebrates design and architecture in all of its functional glory and accidental absurdity, with intriguing tales of both designers and the people impacted by their designs.

Segregation by Design draws on more than 100 years of quantitative and qualitative data from thousands of American cities to explore how local governments generate race and class segregation. Starting in the early 20th century, cities have used their power of land use control to determine the location and availability of housing, amenities (such as parks), and negative land uses (such as garbage dumps). The result has been segregation - first within cities and more recently between them.

Protecting her is the most important job I've ever had. But I'll have to resist her charms—and her scent—if I want to keep her safe. As an alpha in the Secret Service, I protect important people every day. But none have been quite as important as her—the omega senator I'm tasked to protect. Not just any omega senator—the first since our world changed. Since we all got our designations. Sloane Ashford is independent. Unmated. So why does her scent drive me and my men crazy? I'll have to defend her from an assassination plot and try to keep my sanity—all while tamping down my ...

Carrie Bradshaw’s pairing of a tutu with a tank top is one of the most iconic outfits ever seen on television—and a look that turned avant-garde New York designer and stylist Patricia Field into a household name. But before she was crowned the fairy godmother of haute couture, Field was the owner of the longtime East Village emporium Pat Field, a haven for drag queens, club kids, starving artists, NYU freshmen, and creative visionaries alike.

The American Dream thrives in 1912 New York City Annie Wood, the housemaid-turned-pattern designer in The Pattern Artist, jumps at the chance to design her own clothing line when a wealthy New York couple offers to finance her endeavor. Joining the project is Annie’s new husband, Sean Culver, her best friend at Butterick, Maude Nascato, and a mother figure, Edna Holmquist. Annie and her colleagues give up their careers, risking everything to follow a shared passion: clothes that are both fashionable and functional for modern, busy women in 1912. Personal and financial setbacks test old ...

1919 New York City: World War I is over and the world tries to recover and start fresh. The ladies of the dress store, Unruffled--Annie, Edna, Maude and Henrietta--have been friends for years. Their bond has grown, as has their dedication to their families, their business, and their desire to make their lives matter. Join these amazing women in this satisfying conclusion to the Pattern Artist Series.Annie Culver: Annie and Sean have two young daughters. But Sean hasn't returned from the war; he is missing. Annie tries to remain hopeful, and focuses on their dress store. She is caught off ...

Step into a visionary tale of urban innovation with "Blueprinting Tomorrow," an extraordinary journey into the architectonic renaissance shaping our cities' destinies. This riveting eBook reveals the impetus behind the future urbanism movement, meticulously dissecting the complex, multi-faceted beast that our cities’ planning and design have become. As you delve into Chapter 1, you will discover the quintessence of 21st-century urbanism, tracing its historical roots and witnessing the transformative power of technology on our built environments. "Blueprinting Tomorrow" doesn't just ...

We are living through a global catastrophe. Buildings affect how we feel, moment by moment, day by day. They have the power to lift us up and make us feel awestruck, playful, safe, and inspired, just as they can make us feel alienated and sad. But many of the places where we live, work, learn, and heal have become monotonous and disposable. We’re surrounded by cheap, boring buildings that make people stressed, sick, and unhappy. In short, much of our world has been crafted in a way that is hostile to human experience.

Monastery Murder of the 5th century It’s 419 A.D. The Roman legions have abandoned Britannia, leaving their former subjects to fend for themselves. A few miles south from Hadrian’s Wall lie the city of Coria and the nearby, St. Antony’s Monastery, home to misfits and men hiding from their dark pasts, under the supervision of Abbot Mutter and his second-in-command, Prior Tomas. Clodius, an often naughty, superstitious, nineteen-year-old novice, nears completion of his novitiate. An orphan, Clodius was abandoned to St. Antony’s care by his two crooked, unloving brothers. Clodius’s ...

Transform the gray of the city into your personal canvas of vibrant greens and florals with "City Green," the definitive guide to cultivating an urban oasis! lies a treasure trove of gardening gold, perfect for the avid greenthumb looking to infuse life into every nook and cranny of their concrete surrounds. Embark on a horticultural voyage through "City Green," where you'll unravel the complexities of urban horticulture and discover the profound benefits that ornamental plants can play in transforming urban spaces into lush, verdant retreats. Learn to navigate the challenges city gardening...

How to Make a Beautiful City? is a practical guide for city planners, architects, and concerned citizens alike who want to transform their cities into beautiful and livable places. In this book, the author draws on his research and experience to highlight the challenges faced by many megacities around the world, such as pollution, traffic, and a lack of greenery. The author offers practical solutions to overcome them. By adopting a European housing model, the author proposes 16 practical steps to urban planning success, which include developing good architecture, cleaning up the city, ...

La población urbana se duplicará en cuarenta años, algo que obliga a la transformación holística y sostenible del modelo de ciudad. Para Martha Thorne, decana de IE School of Architecture and Design y directora ejecutiva del Pritzker Architecture Prize, el gran reto de la arquitectura está en su capacidad para hacer metrópolis, que serán más densas y poseerán una alta calidad urbana y una mayor calidad de vida para los residentes.

Why do Americans vacation in walkable European cities but come home to stroads, strip malls, and soul-crushing commutes? Drive Until You Die dismantles the postwar suburban experiment and exposes how asphalt, zoning codes, and car dependency quietly reshaped a nation into a cage of convenience. With biting wit and unsparing clarity, this book reveals the machinery behind America’s sprawl: parking mandates, single-use zoning, traffic engineering, and fiscal policies that subsidize dead space. From McMansions to Costco hauls, from retirement ghettos to office parks, suburbia isn't a ...

Escape into a verdant world nestled right within your urban space with "Urban Herbalist"—a comprehensive guide designed for the modern dweller seeking the enchanting simplicity of indoor herb gardening. This digital tome is your faithful companion through an aromatic journey that transforms any nook into a flourishing oasis. Dive into the core of herb cultivation with Chapter 1, illuminating the wholesome benefits and vast potential that lies in cultivating herbs in limited spaces. Discover how to scout the quintessential spots in your place of dwelling to build a sanctuary for your ...

Immerse yourself in your urban oasis with "Green Thumbs, United Blocks," an eBook devoted to transforming concrete jungles into verdant paradises. Whether you are a seasoned urban gardener or a budding green enthusiast, this comprehensive guide will cultivate your know-how and kindle your passion for communal green spaces amidst the hustle and bustle of city life. Unlock the potential of urban community gardens through the insightful first chapter, "The Seed of Community," which delves into the social and sustainable foundations of urban gardening. Draw upon the wisdom compiled to breathe ...

Speculative futures—design approaches that help us visualize new and potential worlds—move us beyond what currently exists into what could one day be. Inspired by art, film, fiction, and industrial design, they use speculation to provoke, imagine, and dream into what lies ahead. Written for futurists, urbanists, and artists looking to enact city-wide transformation—and for listeners at the intersection of disruption, design, innovation, and city living—this book offers creative paths toward urban resilience, using design tools that already exist.