Jeff Speck has dedicated his career to determining what makes cities thrive. And he has boiled it down to one key factor: walkability.The very idea of a modern metropolis evokes visions of bustling sidewalks, vital mass transit, and a vibrant, pedestrian-friendly urban core. But in the typical American city, the car is still king, and downtown is a place that's easy to drive to but often not worth arriving at.Making walkability happen is relatively easy and cheap; seeing exac...

The essential handbook for ending suburban sprawl and automobile-based settlement patternsFor a decade, Suburban Nation has given voice to a growing movement in North America to put an end to suburban sprawl and replace the last century's automobile-based settlement patterns with a return to more traditional planning. Founders of the Congress for the New Urbanism, Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk are at the forefront of the movement, and even their...

“Cities are the future of the human race, and Jeff Speck knows how to make them work.”—David Owen, staff writer at the New YorkerNearly every US city would like to be more walkable—for reasons of health, wealth, and the environment—yet few are taking the proper steps to get there. The goals are often clear, but the path is seldom easy. Jeff Speck’s follow-up to his bestselling Walkable City is the resource that cities and citizens need to usher in ...

Everyone is calling for smart growth...but what exactly is it?In The Smart Growth Manual, two leading city planners provide a thorough answer. From the expanse of the metropolis to the detail of the window box, they address the pressing challenges of urban development with easy-to-follow advice and broad array of best practices.With their landmark book Suburban Nation, Andres Duany and Jeff Speck "set forth more clearly than anyone has done in our time the elemen...

**A manifesto and guidebook for refocusing planners on the task of building a more livable world.From the bestselling author of Walkable City and a prominent urban planning educator.**“Cities are the future of the human race,” remarked New Yorker writer David Owen, “and Jeff Speck knows how to make them work.” With the renowned planning professor Emily Talen, Speck brings that knowledge to bear in *The Planner’s Pledge—*a manifesto and practical handbook t...

**NATIONAL BESTSELLERFrom the hosts of The War on Cars podcast, a searing indictment of how cars ruin everything—and what we can do to fight back**When the very first cars rolled off production lines, they were a technological marvel, predicted to make life easier and better for all Americans; yet a hundred years later, that dream is running on empty.Instead of unbounded freedom, the never-ending proliferation of automobiles has delivered a host of costs, a...

In 2019, mobility experts Melissa and Chris Bruntlett began a new adventure in Delft in the Netherlands. They had packed up their family in Vancouver, BC, and moved to Delft to experience the biking city as residents rather than as visitors. A year earlier they had become unofficial ambassadors for Dutch cities with the publication of their first book Building the Cycling City: The Dutch Blueprint for Urban Vitality.In Curbing Traffic: The Human Case for Fewer Cars in ...

Discover insider secrets of how America’s transportation system is designed, funded, and built – and how to make it work for your communityIn Confessions of a Recovering Engineer: Transportation for a Strong Town, renowned speaker and author of Strong Towns Charles L. Marohn Jr. delivers an accessible and engaging exploration of America’s transportation system, laying bare the reasons why it no longer works as it once did, and how to modernize tra...

This enlightening examination of creativity looks “at art and science together to examine how innovations . . . build on what already exists and rely on three brain operations: bending, breaking and blending” (The Wall Street Journal)The Runaway Species is a deep dive into the creative mind, a celebration of the human spirit, and a vision of how we can improve our future by understanding and embracing our ability to innovate. David Eagleman and An...

Like a modern-day Jane Jacobs, Janette Sadik-Khan transformed New York City's streets to make room for pedestrians, cyclists, buses, and green spaces. Describing the battles she fought to enact change, Streetfight imparts wisdom and practical advice that other cities can follow to make their own streets safer and more vibrant.As New York City’s transportation commissioner, Janette Sadik-Khan managed the seemingly impossible and transformed the streets of o...

**Finalist for the Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction"Happy City is not only readable but stimulating. It raises issues most of us have avoided for too long. Do we live in neighbourhoods that make us happy? That is not a silly question. Montgomery encourages us to ask it without embarrassment, and to think intelligently about the answer." --The New York Times**More of us than ever are moving to inner cities, mixed-use suburbs, and densely co...

Advance Praise for Dynamic Urban Design“Finally, in one book a complete guide to the theory, practice, and potential of urban design by one of Canada’s preeminent urban designers.”—David R. Witty, former dean, School of Architecture, University of Manitoba, Canada“Michael von Hausen has given us a clear and hopeful path to the creation of a sustainable urbanism, one that will be inspiring and instructive to practitioners, students, and all those who are focused on t...