Exploring the Public City
Author: Antonio Galiano Garrigós
Publisher: Universidad de Alicante
Published: 2009
Total Pages: 412
ISBN-13: 8497170652
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Explore Everything
Author: Bradley Garrett
Publisher: Verso Books
Published: 2014-09-09
Total Pages: 289
ISBN-13: 1781685576
DOWNLOAD EBOOKIt is assumed that every inch of the world has been explored and charted; that there is nowhere new to go. But perhaps it is the everyday places around us—the cities we live in—that need to be rediscovered. What does it feel like to find the city’s edge, to explore its forgotten tunnels and scale unfinished skyscrapers high above the metropolis? Explore Everything reclaims the city, recasting it as a place for endless adventure. Plotting expeditions from London, Paris, Berlin, Detroit, Chicago, Las Vegas and Los Angeles, Bradley L. Garrett has evaded urban security in order to experience the city in ways beyond the boundaries of conventional life. He calls it ‘place hacking’: the recoding of closed, secret, hidden and forgotten urban space to make them realms of opportunity. Explore Everything is an account of the author’s escapades with the London Consolidation Crew, an urban exploration collective. The book is also a manifesto, combining philosophy, politics and adventure, on our rights to the city and how to understand the twenty-first century metropolis.
The Public Realm
Author: Lyn H. Lofland
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2017-07-12
Total Pages: 326
ISBN-13: 1351475843
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThis book is about the "public realm," defined as a particular kind of social territory that is found almost exclusively in large settlements. This particular form of social-psychological space comes into being whenever a piece of actual physical space is dominated by relationships between and among persons who are strangers to one another, as often occurs in urban bars, buses, plazas, parks, coffee houses, streets, and so forth. More specifically, the book is about the social life that occurs in such social-psychological spaces (the normative patterns and principles that shape it, the relationships that characterize it, the aesthetic and interactional pleasures that enliven it) and the forces (anti-urbanism, privatism, post-war planning and architecture) that threaten it. The data upon which the book's analysis is based are diverse: direct observation; interviews; contemporary photographs, historic etchings, prints and photographs, and historical maps; histories of specific urban public spaces or spatial types; and the relevant scholarly literature from sociology, environmental psychology, geography, history, anthropology, and architecture and urban planning and design. Its central argument is that while the existing body of accomplished work in the social sciences can be reinterpreted to make it relevant to an understanding of the public realm, this quintessential feature of city life deserves much more u it deserves to be the object of direct scholarly interest in its own right. Choice noted that: "The author's writing style is unusually accessible, and the often fascinating narrative is generously supported by well-chosen photos."
The Ludic City
Author: Quentin Stevens
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2007-04-11
Total Pages: 390
ISBN-13: 1134143958
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThis international and illustrated work challenges current writings focussing on the problems of urban public space to present a more nuanced and dialectical conception of urban life. Detailed and extensive international urban case studies show how urban open spaces are used for play, which is defined and discussed using Caillois' four-part definition – competition, chance, simulation and vertigo. Stevens explores and analyzes these case studies according to locations where play has been observed: paths, intersections, thresholds, boundaries and props. Applicable to a wide-range of countries and city forms, The Ludic City is a fascinating and stimulating read for all who are involved or interested in the design of urban spaces.
The Ideal City
Author: Robert Klanten
Publisher: Gestalten
Published: 2021
Total Pages: 0
ISBN-13: 9783899558623
DOWNLOAD EBOOK"Urban life is humankind’s biggest experiment to date, our cities are constantly evolving and adapting to climate and economy. The cities we have today are not necessarily the ones we need, but big and small innovation is rethinking visions of urbanization. Together with pioneering research and design lab SPACE10, we present future-orientated design which enhances quality of life and makes our urban spaces more vibrant. As technology and urban life edge ever closer, The Ideal City explores the ambitious actions and initiatives being brought to life across the globe to meet tomorrow’s demand in clever, forwarding-thinking ways. From pedestrian infrastructure to housing, the book uncovers what is being discussed at the forefront of urbanism through expert essays and profiles."--
Seeing the Better City
Author: Charles R. Wolfe
Publisher: Island Press
Published: 2016
Total Pages: 263
ISBN-13: 161091774X
DOWNLOAD EBOOKCover -- About Island Press -- Subscribe -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Contents -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction: Why Urban Observation Matters: Seeing the Better City -- 01. How to See City Basics and Universal Patterns -- 02. Observational Approaches -- 03. Seeing the City through Urban Diaries -- 04. Documenting Our Personal Cities -- 05. From Urban Diaries to Policies, Plans, and Politics -- Conclusion: What the Better City Can Be -- Notes -- Index -- IP Board of Directors
Soft City
Author: David Sim
Publisher: Island Press
Published: 2019-08-20
Total Pages: 257
ISBN-13: 1642830186
DOWNLOAD EBOOKImagine waking up to the gentle noises of the city, and moving through your day with complete confidence that you will get where you need to go quickly and efficiently. Soft City is about ease and comfort, where density has a human dimension, adapting to our ever-changing needs, nurturing relationships, and accommodating the pleasures of everyday life. How do we move from the current reality in most cites—separated uses and lengthy commutes in single-occupancy vehicles that drain human, environmental, and community resources—to support a soft city approach? In Soft City David Sim, partner and creative director at Gehl, shows how this is possible, presenting ideas and graphic examples from around the globe. He draws from his vast design experience to make a case for a dense and diverse built environment at a human scale, which he presents through a series of observations of older and newer places, and a range of simple built phenomena, some traditional and some totally new inventions. Sim shows that increasing density is not enough. The soft city must consider the organization and layout of the built environment for more fluid movement and comfort, a diversity of building types, and thoughtful design to ensure a sustainable urban environment and society. Soft City begins with the big ideas of happiness and quality of life, and then shows how they are tied to the way we live. The heart of the book is highly visual and shows the building blocks for neighborhoods: building types and their organization and orientation; how we can get along as we get around a city; and living with the weather. As every citizen deals with the reality of a changing climate, Soft City explores how the built environment can adapt and respond. Soft City offers inspiration, ideas, and guidance for anyone interested in city building. Sim shows how to make any city more efficient, more livable, and better connected to the environment.
Edgeless Cities
Author: Robert E. Lang
Publisher: Brookings Institution Press
Published: 2003-02-25
Total Pages: 186
ISBN-13: 9780815796008
DOWNLOAD EBOOKEdgeless cities are a sprawling form of development that accounts for the bulk of office space found outside of downtowns. Every major metropolitan area has them: vast swaths of isolated buildings that are neither pedestrian friendly, nor easily accessible by public transit, and do not lend themselves to mixed use. While critics of urban sprawl tend to focus on the social impact of "edge cities"—developments that combine large-scale office parks with major retail and housing—edgeless cities, despite their ubiquity, are difficult to define or even locate. While they stay under the radar of critics, they represent a significant departure in the way American cities are built and are very likely the harbingers of a suburban future almost no one has anticipated. Edgeless Cities explores America's new metropolitan form by examining the growth and spatial structure of suburban office space across the nation. Inspired by Myron Orfield's groundbreaking Metropolitics (Brookings, 1997), Robert Lang uses data, illustrations, maps, and photos to delineate between two types of suburban office development—bounded and edgeless. The book covers the evolving geography of rental office space in thirteen of the country's largest markets, which together contain more than 2.6 billion square feet of office space and 26,000 buildings: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Washington. Lang discusses how edgeless cities differ from traditional office areas. He also provides an overview of national, regional, and metropolitan office markets, covers ways to map and measure them, and discusses the challenges urban policymakers and practitioners will face as this new suburban form continues to spread. Until now, edgeless cities have been the unstudied phenomena of the new metropolis. Lang's conceptual approach reframes the current thinking on suburban sprawl and provides a valuable resource for
Exploring Smart Cities Activity Book for Kids
Author: Jonathan Reichental
Publisher:
Published: 2021-08
Total Pages:
ISBN-13: 9781737609902
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThe world's first activity book for kids focused on learning about the future of smarter cities!Exploring Smart Cities Activity Book for Kids provides a fun and engaging educational experience for a wide range of kids ages and learning styles. Activities and rhymes will provide endless hours of enjoyment at home and at school, and ample opportunities for topics to inspire a kid's interests now and into the future.Created by Dr. Jonathan Reichental, one of the world's foremost authorities on smart cities, and his co-author, Brett Hoffstadt, the producer of many popular children's activity books on current technologies!There are over 40 engaging learning activities including:- Coloring- Mazes- Drawing- Word searches- Crosswords- Cryptograms- Connect-the-dots- Craft constructionPlus, several multiplayer activities such as:- Scavenger hunt- Discussion topics- Brainstorming- Even a board game!Kids will be gently introduced to important topics such as:- Civil engineering- Public safety- Water management- The Internet of Things (IoT)- Alternative energy- Drones- SustainabilityToday, more than half of the people in the world live in cities. In the years ahead, many more people will join them. Our future belongs to cities!Through fun and interactive activities, woven through an entertaining rhyming storyline, this book gives children a better understanding of the past, the present, and the future of cities.
Public Libraries and Resilient Cities
Author: Michael Dudley
Publisher: American Library Association
Published: 2013
Total Pages: 194
ISBN-13: 0838911366
DOWNLOAD EBOOKPublic libraries are keystone public institutions for any thriving community, and as such can be leaders in making cities better places to work, play, and live. Here, Dudley shows how public libraries can contribute to 'placemaking', or the creation and nurturing of vital and unique communities for their residents.
