The world is facing unprecedented challenges, from climate change and population growth, to political division and technological dislocation, to declining mental health and fraying cultural fabric. With most of the planet’s population now living in urban environments, cities are the spaces where we have the greatest potential to confront and address these problems. In this visionary book, Vishaan Chakrabarti argues for an “architecture of urbanity,” showing how the design of our communities can create a more equitable, sustainable, and joyous future for us all.
Taking readers from the great cities of antiquity to the worldwide exurban sprawl of our postindustrial age, Chakrabarti examines architecture’s relationship to history’s greatest social, technological, and environmental dilemmas. He then presents a rich selection of work by a global array of practicing architects, demonstrating how innovative design can dramatically improve life in big cities and small settlements around the world, from campuses and refugee camps to mega-cities like São Paulo, Lima, Los Angeles, New York, Paris, and Tokyo.
Lavishly illustrated with a wealth of original graphics, data visualizations, photographs, and drawings, The Architecture of Urbanity eloquently explains why cities are the last, best hope for humanity, and why designers must, alongside political, business, community, and cultural leaders, steward the healing of our planet.
Vishaan Chakrabarti is an architect, author, public thought leader, and the founder of Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU), a design studio dedicated to building ecological, equitable, and joyous communities. He is the author of A Country of Cities: A Manifesto for an Urban America.
"[Vishaan Chakrabarti] takes on the important subject of cities—their challenges and their future. The book bristles with opinions on matters ranging from the urban impact of climate change to how to fix social housing. As one example, Mr. Chakrabarti resists the smart-cities movements that attempt to maximize efficiency through technology (think delivery drones). He favors designs that generate “positive social friction” of the kind that takes place in the urban farmers market. . . . [Readers] can admire the ambition and range of his knowledge, and his intelligent diagnoses of what exactly is awry."—Cammy Brothers, Wall Street Journal
"Ambitious."—Mimi Kirk, Bloomberg
"A beautiful book."—Jeff Wood, Talking Headways podcast
"Powerful."—Streetsblog USA
"[A] lively new volume. . . . Lay readers especially will benefit from Chakrabarti’s TED-talk-accessible accounts."—Thomas de Monchaux, Vital City
"[In] The Architecture of Urbanity, Vishaan Chakrabarti tackles [architecture’s] ugliness—and the despair and social isolation it engenders. . . .[Chakrabarti argues] architecture can help repair a culture in crisis, encourage democracy, alleviate climate change, even increase joy and health and prosperity. . . .Chakrabarti offers gorgeous examples, from Paris’s Place des Vosges to Saha Al Qassas in the West Bank. Examples of PAU’s work reinforce his point, as do the whimsical drawings at the book’s end, illustrations of people happily appropriating urban spaces in the interest of justice, joy, and connection. We need this approach to architecture. We need to feel welcome again; to feel a sense of comfort and shared delight; to honor the past; to remember we are all here together."—Jeannette Cooperman, The Common Reader
“The Architecture of Urbanity shows us how urban planning can be a force for good despite its historic complicity in the production of inequality. With passion and rigor, Chakrabarti lays out a vital vision for better cities, designed to create sustainable solidarity across lines of race, origin, and class.”—Heather C. McGhee, author of The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together
“This book forcefully conveys the importance of good design and how it can transform cities for the better environmentally and economically. It is vital for policymakers and students alike.”—Norman Foster, founder, Foster + Partners
“Vishaan Chakrabarti offers an accessible, engaging account of the major challenges facing our cities, as well as design innovations across history that can give rise to more resilient and joyful urban life. This is urbanism that everyone can understand and feel excited to take part in.”—Jeanne Gang, FAIA, Int FRIBA
“Vishaan Chakrabarti makes a much-needed case for rethinking the capacities of design to solve the complex crises we face in climate, sustainability, and equity. This is an argument for long-term priorities over short-term profits, one in which design guides our decision making and helps us change course, leaving no one behind.”—Henk Ovink, Executive Director, Global Commission on the Economics of Water
