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Cities and urban life

Society and culture

Holds books on how cities grow, work and fail, from Jane Jacobs and Lewis Mumford to Edward Glaeser, Jan Gehl and studies of single cities such as Bombay, Dubai and San Francisco.

29 books on Cities and urban life, 1 of them tier 1, recommended by 23 people including Patrick Collison and Mohnish Pabrai.

29 books · 23 experts

Start here

  1. The Death and Life of Great American CitiesJane Jacobs, 1961
  2. The Economy of CitiesJane Jacobs, 1969
  3. Crabgrass FrontierKenneth T. Jackson, 1985
  4. The New Geography of JobsEnrico Moretti, 2012
  5. Arrival CityDoug Saunders, 2010

The best books on Cities and urban life 29

The Death and Life of Great American CitiesThe Death and Life of Great American Cities
T1 The Death and Life of Great American Cities
Jane Jacobs · 1961
Still the founding text on how urban value is actually created.
Open Library
Recommended byPatrick CollisonChris DixonDaniel BurkaSam Altman
The Economy of CitiesThe Economy of Cities
T2 The Economy of Cities
Jane Jacobs · 1969
Cities rather than nations as the unit of economic growth.
Open Library
Crabgrass FrontierCrabgrass Frontier
T2 Crabgrass Frontier
Kenneth T. Jackson · 1985
Suburbanization of the United States; the standard history.
Open Library
The New Geography of JobsThe New Geography of Jobs
T2 The New Geography of Jobs
Enrico Moretti · 2012
Why a few metropolitan areas capture most of the gains.
Open Library
Arrival CityArrival City
T3 Arrival City
Doug Saunders · 2010
Migration into the world's fastest-growing urban peripheries.
Open Library
Dubai, the City as CorporationDubai, the City as Corporation
T3 Dubai, the City as Corporation
Ahmed Kanna · 2011
The emirate governed explicitly as a firm, and what that means for investors.
Open Library
Kuwait TransformedKuwait Transformed
T3 Kuwait Transformed
Farah Al-Nakib · 2016
Oil urbanism and how land distribution created the domestic merchant fortune.
Open Library
The City in HistoryThe City in History
T4 The City in History
Lewis Mumford · 1961
Open Library
Recommended byKeith RaboisPatrick Collison
Toward a radical middle: Fourteen pieces of Toward a radical middle: Fourteen pieces of reporting and criticism
T4 Toward a radical middle: Fourteen pieces of reporting and criticism
Renata Adler · 1969
Open Library
Recommended byPatrick Collison
How Buildings LearnHow Buildings Learn
T4 How Buildings Learn
Stewart Brand · 1994
Open Library
Recommended byStewart BrandCaterina FakeDaniel BurkaJason FriedKevin KellyPatrick Collison
Chicago Days: 150 Defining Moments in the LiChicago Days: 150 Defining Moments in the Life of a Great City
T4 Chicago Days: 150 Defining Moments in the Life of a Great City
Stevenson Swanson, Chicago Tribune · 1997
Open Library
Recommended byMohnish Pabrai
Outside Lies MagicOutside Lies Magic
T4 Outside Lies Magic
John R. Stilgoe · 1998
Reading the built landscape; observation trained as a research habit
Open Library
“Professor John Stilgoe at Harvard is trying to teach it and wrote an interesting book recently entitled "Outside Lies Magic”Nick Sleep
Recommended byNick Sleep
Maximum City: Bombay Lost and FoundMaximum City: Bombay Lost and Found
T4 Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found
Suketu Mehta · 2004
Open Library
Recommended byMohnish Pabrai
The High Cost of Free ParkingThe High Cost of Free Parking
T4 The High Cost of Free Parking
Donald Shoup · 2005
Open Library
Recommended byBill Gurley
The City That Became SafeThe City That Became Safe
T4 The City That Became Safe
Franklin E. Zimring · 2011
Open Library
Recommended byBill Gates
Triumph of the City: How Our Greatest InventTriumph of the City: How Our Greatest Invention Makes Us Richer, Smarter, Greener, Healthier, and Happier
T4 Triumph of the City: How Our Greatest Invention Makes Us Richer, Smarter, Greener, Healthier, and Happier
Edward L. Glaeser · 2011
The economist's case for density as the engine of productivity.
Open Library
“on the central role cities play in our world and why it's so important for us to build them”Marc Andreessen
Recommended byMarc AndreessenMohnish PabraiStewart BrandTony Hsieh
Season of the WitchSeason of the Witch
T4 Season of the Witch
David Talbot · 2012
Open Library
Recommended byPatrick Collison
The Victorian City: Everyday Life in DickensThe Victorian City: Everyday Life in Dickens' London
T4 The Victorian City: Everyday Life in Dickens' London
Judith Flanders · 2012
Open Library
Recommended byMohnish Pabrai
A Country of Cities: A Manifesto for an UrbaA Country of Cities: A Manifesto for an Urban America
T4 A Country of Cities: A Manifesto for an Urban America
Vishaan Chakrabarti · 2013
Open Library
Recommended byPatrick Collison
Happy CityHappy City
T4 Happy City
Charles Montgomery · 2013
Open Library
Recommended byMr. Money Mustache
How to Study Public LifeHow to Study Public Life
T4 How to Study Public Life
Jan Gehl · 2013
Open Library
Recommended byPatrick Collison
Capital: The Eruption of DelhiCapital: The Eruption of Delhi
T4 Capital: The Eruption of Delhi
Rana Dasgupta · 2014
Open Library
Recommended byMohnish Pabrai
Eyes on the StreetEyes on the Street
T4 Eyes on the Street
Robert Kanigel · 2016
Open Library
Recommended byPaul Graham
Nonstop MetropolisNonstop Metropolis
T4 Nonstop Metropolis
Rebecca Solnit · 2016
Open Library
Recommended byLaura R Walker
The Well-Tempered City: What Modern Science,The Well-Tempered City: What Modern Science, Ancient Civilizations, and Human Nature Teach Us About the Future of Urban Life
T4 The Well-Tempered City: What Modern Science, Ancient Civilizations, and Human Nature Teach Us About the Future of Urban Life
Jonathan F. P. Rose · 2016
Open Library
Recommended byPatrick Collison
Order Without DesignOrder Without Design
T4 Order Without Design
Alain Bertaud · 2018
An urban planner using land markets rather than master plans.
Open Library
Recommended byNassim Nicholas TalebAlexis OhanianEmmett Shear
Golden GatesGolden Gates
T4 Golden Gates
Conor Dougherty · 2020
Open Library
Recommended byMarc Andreessen
San FransickoSan Fransicko
T4 San Fransicko
Michael Shellenberger
unverified
Recommended byMatt Mullenweg
The Rise of the Creative ClassThe Rise of the Creative Class
T4 The Rise of the Creative Class
Richard Florida
unverified
Recommended byNat Eliason

Experts 23

The people who wrote this page's books, and the people who recommend them.

Authors 1

Stewart Brandwrote 1 book here

Recommenders 23

Patrick Collisonrecommends 8 books here
MP
Mohnish Pabrairecommends 5 books hereMarc Andreessenrecommends 2 books hereDaniel Burkarecommends 2 books hereStewart Brandrecommends 2 books hereNassim Nicholas Talebrecommends 1 book herePaul Grahamrecommends 1 book here
KK
Kevin Kellyrecommends 1 book here
NS
Nick Sleeprecommends 1 book hereAlexis Ohanianrecommends 1 book hereBill Gatesrecommends 1 book hereBill Gurleyrecommends 1 book here
Show all 23
Caterina Fakerecommends 1 book hereChris Dixonrecommends 1 book hereEmmett Shearrecommends 1 book here
JF
Jason Friedrecommends 1 book hereKeith Raboisrecommends 1 book here
LR
Laura R Walkerrecommends 1 book hereMatt Mullenwegrecommends 1 book here
MM
Mr. Money Mustacherecommends 1 book here
NE
Nat Eliasonrecommends 1 book hereSam Altmanrecommends 1 book hereTony Hsiehrecommends 1 book here
See all 23 in the Experts tab →

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