Cities come in all shapes and sizes, with different patterns and forms. Streets might be strictly gridded or curvilinear. Buildings might be tightly packed or spread out. Patterns and forms might reflect the highest aspirations, or they might simply be responses to mundane, utilitarian needs. So what do cities ""say"" about a society? What do patterns and forms reveal about social priorities and cultural preferences, or about who has power and who does not? In What Cities Say, Emily Talen provides a wide-ranging yet concise synthesis of the fundamental drivers of built form, its social and cultural meaning, and how we should interpret it. Including thirty-five distinct city patterns and forms, Talen develops a language of interpretation to understand the motive and meaning behind the city and its elements. Talen argues that meaning is often implicit, and even if it's more explicit, it is woven in haphazardly through city planning texts in often contradictory ways. To cut through the noise and ambiguity, she focuses on the persistent themes that inhere in built pattern and form, whether for complete cities or individual places. She makes ample use of digital resources to render these interpretations in explicit terms. By exposing these meanings, Talen asserts that we will be in a stronger position to articulate, and argue for, the kinds of cities we want. Richly illustrated and tightly presented, What Cities Say is essential reading for anyone interested in the values and ideas that serve as the foundation of how we construct our cities.
By:
Emily Talen (Professor of Urbanism Professor of Urbanism University of Chicago)
Imprint: Oxford University Press Inc
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 235mm,
Width: 156mm,
Weight: 1.550kg
ISBN: 9780197647769
ISBN 10: 0197647766
Pages: 312
Publication Date: 09 September 2024
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Introduction Greek Polis Medieval Towns Small Cities Big Cities Linear Cities New Towns and Colonial Outposts Industrial Villages and Company Towns Garden Cities Urban Suburbs Planned Suburbs Garden Suburbs Modernist Urbanism New Urbanism Neighborhoods Districts The Baroque Monumentalism Urban Renewal Uniformity Variation Sprawl Grids Wide Streets Street Hierarchy Curved and Irregular Streets Boulevards and Avenues Radials, Rings, and Diagonals Superblocks Plazas and Squares Centers Government Towers in a Park Buildings and Settings Enclosure Boundaries Conclusion Bibliography Index
Emily Talen is Professor of Urbanism at the University of Chicago, where she teaches urban design and directs the Urbanism Lab. She is a Fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners, and the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship. Talen has written extensively on the topics of urban design, New Urbanism, and social equity. Her books include New Urbanism and American Planning; Design for Diversity; Urban Design Reclaimed; City Rules; and Neighborhood.
