archBOSTON ARCHIVE

[PerfectHandle]

This forum has been a tremendous source of education for me and I'd like to expand that education a bit.

In this thread, please add the names of books related to urban planning, whether related to Boston, cities, suburbs, history, theory or anything else, that you have found interesting, powerful or informative.

I'll start by recommending:

Kevin Lynch, "The Image of the City."

[Ron Newman]

I'm not sure if you want general books or specifically Boston books. My list is the latter.

Alan Lupo, "Rites of Way".
Walter Muir Whitehill, "Boston: A Topographical History"
Karl Haglund, "Inventing the Charles River"
Alex Krieger and David Cobb, "Mapping Boston"
Nancy Seasholes, "Gaining Ground: A History of Landmaking in Boston"
Jane Holtz Kay, "Lost Boston"
Peter Vanderwarker, "Boston Then and Now: 59 Boston Sites Photographed in the Past and Present"
Herbert Gans, "The Urban Villagers"

[statler]

Invented Cities: The Creation of Landscape in Nineteenth-Century New York and Boston by Mona Domosh.

A bit dry but a great read.
There is a quote by a judge talking about the Winthrop Building, shortly after it was built, remarking about how it was an impressive building but too tall and a big mistake for the city! Yup, Boston's first NIMBY!

[statler]

Also:

Cityscapes of Boston by Robert Campbell.

I don't agree with everything he has to say, but it's very clear that he has an excellent understanding of what makes a good urban environment, and he does a fantastic job of making that knowledge accessible to a wide audience.

[Ron Newman]

Lawrence Kennedy, "Planning the City upon a Hill: Boston Since 1630"

[ablarc]

Leon Krier: Architecture -- Choice or Fate?

Camillo Sitte: City Planning According to Artistic Principles

Andres Duany: Suburban Nation

Peter Blake: God's Own Junkyard

A.E.J. Morris: A History of Urban Form

Lewis Mumford: The City in History

Gordon Cullen: Townscape

.