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A Natural History of Empty Lots

Field Notes from Urban Edgelands, Back Alleys, and Other Wild Places

by Christopher Brown ...

An "instant classic", this genre-bending blend of naturalism, memoir, and social manifesto is a fascinating study for rewilding the city, the self, and society (Jeff VanderMeer, New York Times bestselling author).During the real estate crash of the late 2000s, Christopher Brown purchased an empty lot in an industrial section of Austin, Texas. The property—abandoned and full of litter and debris ... Read more

Was $19.99 CAD Now $1.99 CAD

An "instant classic", this genre-bending blend of naturalism, memoir, and social manifesto is a fascinating study for rewilding the city, the self, and society (Jeff VanderMeer, New York Times bestselling author).During the real estate crash of the late 2000s, Christopher Brown purchased an empty lot in an industrial section of Austin, Texas. The property—abandoned and full of litter and debris
... Read more
Paris After Haussmann

Living with Infrastructure in the City of Light, 1870–1914

by Peter S. Soppelsa ...

Series series History of the Urban Environment
Modern Paris is often hailed as a capital of urban infrastructure. Baron Georges-Eugène Haussmann’s rebuilding of Paris in 1853–1870, branded “Haussmannization,” helped define urban modernity for cities worldwide. But even as infrastructures expanded and modernized, some Parisians were left behind: as late as 1928, 18 percent of houses still lacked direct sewerage. Haussmannization often hid ... Read more

$43.99 CAD

Modern Paris is often hailed as a capital of urban infrastructure. Baron Georges-Eugène Haussmann’s rebuilding of Paris in 1853–1870, branded “Haussmannization,” helped define urban modernity for cities worldwide. But even as infrastructures expanded and modernized, some Parisians were left behind: as late as 1928, 18 percent of houses still lacked direct sewerage. Haussmannization often hid
... Read more
Building the Cycling City

The Dutch Blueprint for Urban Vitality

by Melissa Bruntlett, Chris Bruntlett ...

In car-clogged urban areas across the world, the humble bicycle is enjoying a second life as a legitimate form of transportation. City officials are rediscovering it as a multi-pronged (or -spoked) solution to acute, 21st-century problems, including affordability, obesity, congestion, climate change, inequity, and social isolation. As the world’s foremost cycling nation, the Netherlands is the ... Read more

$32.59 CAD

In car-clogged urban areas across the world, the humble bicycle is enjoying a second life as a legitimate form of transportation. City officials are rediscovering it as a multi-pronged (or -spoked) solution to acute, 21st-century problems, including affordability, obesity, congestion, climate change, inequity, and social isolation. As the world’s foremost cycling nation, the Netherlands is the
... Read more
Saving Toronto

10 City Builders Tell Us How

Edited by Anne Golden, Ken Greenberg ...

Once celebrated as the city that works, Toronto is a city on the brink.Featuring: Ilana Altman, Zahra Ebrahim, Anne Golden, Tim Gray, Ken Greenberg, Franz Hartmann, Josh Matlow, Matti Siemiatycki, Enid Slack, Bianca Wylie.Strained by urban sprawl, crumbling infrastructure, and chronic under-funding, Canada's largest city is coming apart at the seams. Its promise — of livability, opportunity, and ... Read more

$11.19 CAD

Once celebrated as the city that works, Toronto is a city on the brink.Featuring: Ilana Altman, Zahra Ebrahim, Anne Golden, Tim Gray, Ken Greenberg, Franz Hartmann, Josh Matlow, Matti Siemiatycki, Enid Slack, Bianca Wylie.Strained by urban sprawl, crumbling infrastructure, and chronic under-funding, Canada's largest city is coming apart at the seams. Its promise — of livability, opportunity, and
... Read more
Missing Middle Housing

Thinking Big and Building Small to Respond to Today's Housing Crisis

by Daniel G. Parolek ...

Today, there is a tremendous mismatch between the available housing stock in the US and the housing options that people want and need. The post-WWII, auto-centric, single-family-development model no longer meets the needs of residents. Urban areas in the US are experiencing dramatically shifting household and cultural demographics and a growing demand for walkable urban living.Missing Middle ... Read more

$48.89 CAD

Today, there is a tremendous mismatch between the available housing stock in the US and the housing options that people want and need. The post-WWII, auto-centric, single-family-development model no longer meets the needs of residents. Urban areas in the US are experiencing dramatically shifting household and cultural demographics and a growing demand for walkable urban living.Missing Middle
... Read more
The Bird-Friendly City

Creating Safe Urban Habitats

by Timothy Beatley ...

How does a bird experience a city? A backyard? A park? As the world has become more urban, noisier from increased traffic, and brighter from streetlights and office buildings, it has also become more dangerous for countless species of birds. Warblers become disoriented by nighttime lights and collide with buildings. Ground-feeding sparrows fall prey to feral cats. Hawks and other birds-of-prey are ... Read more

$38.09 CAD

How does a bird experience a city? A backyard? A park? As the world has become more urban, noisier from increased traffic, and brighter from streetlights and office buildings, it has also become more dangerous for countless species of birds. Warblers become disoriented by nighttime lights and collide with buildings. Ground-feeding sparrows fall prey to feral cats. Hawks and other birds-of-prey are
... Read more
The New Transit Town

Best Practices In Transit-Oriented Development

Edited by Hank Dittmar, Gloria Ohland ...

Transit-oriented development (TOD) seeks to maximize access to mass transit and nonmotorized transportation with centrally located rail or bus stations surrounded by relatively high-density commercial and residential development. New Urbanists and smart growth proponents have embraced the concept and interest in TOD is growing, both in the United States and around the world.New Transit Town brings ... Read more

$41.29 CAD

Transit-oriented development (TOD) seeks to maximize access to mass transit and nonmotorized transportation with centrally located rail or bus stations surrounded by relatively high-density commercial and residential development. New Urbanists and smart growth proponents have embraced the concept and interest in TOD is growing, both in the United States and around the world.New Transit Town brings
... Read more
A Place in Mind

The Search for Authenticity, Revised Edition

by Avi Friedman ...

A Place in Mind: The Search for Authenticity is the result of Avi Friedman’s worldwide quest for successful environments where people congregate and feel comfortable. Whether he writes of the conviviality of a teahouse in Istanbul; the serenity of Assisi; the squatter settlements of Tijuana, or the architectural harmony of neighbourhoods in London, Friedman conveys his excitement at discovering ... Read more

$14.39 CAD

A Place in Mind: The Search for Authenticity is the result of Avi Friedman’s worldwide quest for successful environments where people congregate and feel comfortable. Whether he writes of the conviviality of a teahouse in Istanbul; the serenity of Assisi; the squatter settlements of Tijuana, or the architectural harmony of neighbourhoods in London, Friedman conveys his excitement at discovering
... Read more
Landscape, Well-Being and Environment

Edited by Richard Coles, Zoe Millman ...

Well-being is now firmly established as an overarching theme of key concern to all professionals that work, manage or design the environment. However, well-being is a complex multi-dimensional issue rooted in the ways that we encounter, perceive and interpret the environment. No single discipline can claim to have sufficient knowledge to fully explain the types of interactions that occur, ... Read more

$96.35 CAD

Well-being is now firmly established as an overarching theme of key concern to all professionals that work, manage or design the environment. However, well-being is a complex multi-dimensional issue rooted in the ways that we encounter, perceive and interpret the environment. No single discipline can claim to have sufficient knowledge to fully explain the types of interactions that occur,
... Read more
How Paris Became Paris

The Invention of the Modern City

by Joan DeJean ...

"This lively history charts the growth of Paris from a city of crowded alleyways and irregular buildings into a modern marvel."-- New YorkerAt the beginning of the seventeenth century, Paris was known for isolated monuments but had not yet put its brand on urban space. Like other European cities, it was still emerging from its medieval past. But in a mere century Paris would be transformed into ... Read more

$17.59 CAD or Free with Kobo Plus

"This lively history charts the growth of Paris from a city of crowded alleyways and irregular buildings into a modern marvel."-- New YorkerAt the beginning of the seventeenth century, Paris was known for isolated monuments but had not yet put its brand on urban space. Like other European cities, it was still emerging from its medieval past. But in a mere century Paris would be transformed into
... Read more
Icebergs, Zombies, and the Ultra-Thin

Architecture and Capitalism in the 21st Century

by Matthew Soules ...

"Soules's excellent book makes sense of the capitalist forces we all feel but cannot always name… Icebergs, Zombies, and the Ultra Thin arms architects and the general public with an essential understanding of how capitalism makes property. Required reading for those who think tomorrow can be different from today."— Jack Self, coeditor of Real Estates: Life Without DebtIn Icebergs, Zombies, and ... Read more

$15.19 CAD

"Soules's excellent book makes sense of the capitalist forces we all feel but cannot always name… Icebergs, Zombies, and the Ultra Thin arms architects and the general public with an essential understanding of how capitalism makes property. Required reading for those who think tomorrow can be different from today."— Jack Self, coeditor of Real Estates: Life Without DebtIn Icebergs, Zombies, and
... Read more
Walking the Bypass

by Ken Wilson ...

Reflections from the lone traveller for whom a highway was never the intended destinationWalking the Bypass recounts Ken Wilson’s singular experience of walking alongside the decidedly pedestrian-unfriendly Regina Bypass, all while situating the highway within the ongoing history of settler colonialism in southern Saskatchewan.Through a series of ambitious and unconventional walks, Wilson sets out ... Read more

$22.39 CAD

Reflections from the lone traveller for whom a highway was never the intended destinationWalking the Bypass recounts Ken Wilson’s singular experience of walking alongside the decidedly pedestrian-unfriendly Regina Bypass, all while situating the highway within the ongoing history of settler colonialism in southern Saskatchewan.Through a series of ambitious and unconventional walks, Wilson sets out
... Read more
Five Rules for Tomorrow's Cities

Design in an Age of Urban Migration, Demographic Change, and a Disappearing Middle Class

by Patrick M. Condon ...

How we design our cities over the next four decades will be critical for our planet. If we continue to spill excessive greenhouse gas into the atmosphere, we will run out of time to keep our global temperature from increasing. Since approximately 80% of greenhouse gases come from cities, it follows that in the design of cities lies the fate of the world.As urban designers respond to the critical ... Read more

$42.39 CAD

How we design our cities over the next four decades will be critical for our planet. If we continue to spill excessive greenhouse gas into the atmosphere, we will run out of time to keep our global temperature from increasing. Since approximately 80% of greenhouse gases come from cities, it follows that in the design of cities lies the fate of the world.As urban designers respond to the critical
... Read more
Play and the City

How to Create Places and Spaces To Help Us Thrive

by Alex Bonham ...

Play is essential, for children but also adults. It's how we relax and revitalise ourselves, build and maintain friendships, try new things, learn and innovate.Cities have always been sites of play, bringing people together and pushing the boundaries of what is humanly possible. And now we need our cities to encourage and facilitate play of all kinds more than ever. If we want a world for our ... Read more

$6.99 CAD

Play is essential, for children but also adults. It's how we relax and revitalise ourselves, build and maintain friendships, try new things, learn and innovate.Cities have always been sites of play, bringing people together and pushing the boundaries of what is humanly possible. And now we need our cities to encourage and facilitate play of all kinds more than ever. If we want a world for our
... Read more
Dreamers and Designers

The Shaping of West Vancouver

by Francis Mansbridge, John Moir ...

West Vancouver is a community defined by its geography, bordered on three sides by the ocean, backed by mountainous wilderness and threaded by creeks and ravines. This setting gives the region a distinct identity, attracting people from all over the world with the prospect of stunning scenery and unparalleled opportunities for outdoor activity, but also defines how the community has developed. As ... Read more

$16.99 CAD or Free with Kobo Plus

West Vancouver is a community defined by its geography, bordered on three sides by the ocean, backed by mountainous wilderness and threaded by creeks and ravines. This setting gives the region a distinct identity, attracting people from all over the world with the prospect of stunning scenery and unparalleled opportunities for outdoor activity, but also defines how the community has developed. As
... Read more
If Venice Dies

by Salvatore Settis ...

Translated by André Naffis-Sahely ...

In the tradition of Jane Jacobs’ The Death and Life of Great American Cities comes an urgent plea from internationally renowned art historian Salvatore Settis to preserve Venice’s future.What is Venice worth? To whom does this urban treasure belong? Venetians are increasingly abandoning their hometown — there’s now only one resident for every 140 visitors — and Venice’s fragile fate has become ... Read more

$13.59 CAD or Free with Kobo Plus

In the tradition of Jane Jacobs’ The Death and Life of Great American Cities comes an urgent plea from internationally renowned art historian Salvatore Settis to preserve Venice’s future.What is Venice worth? To whom does this urban treasure belong? Venetians are increasingly abandoning their hometown — there’s now only one resident for every 140 visitors — and Venice’s fragile fate has become
... Read more
On the Grid

A Plot of Land, an Average Neighborhood, and the Systems That Make Our World Work

by Scott Huler ...

Turn on a switch and from the nearest bulb out pours light from... somewhere; turn on a faucet and water appears. Wires, pipes, and roads support the lives we lead, but the average person doesn't know where they go or even how they work. In On the Grid, Scott Huler takes the time to understand the systems that sustain our way of life, starting from his own quarter of an acre in North Carolina and ... Read more

$7.99 CAD

Turn on a switch and from the nearest bulb out pours light from... somewhere; turn on a faucet and water appears. Wires, pipes, and roads support the lives we lead, but the average person doesn't know where they go or even how they work. In On the Grid, Scott Huler takes the time to understand the systems that sustain our way of life, starting from his own quarter of an acre in North Carolina and
... Read more
Les interventions sociales de proximité

by Mustafa Poyraz ...

Les enjeux liés aux espaces de proximité, où les problèmes de la pauvreté, de l'exclusion, de l'immigration et de la jeunesse s'exposent de façon marquante, occupent une place de plus en plus importante dans la politique publique. Ces différentes contributions tentent d'analyser les interventions sociales dans ces espaces. Le positionnement des centres sociaux et des maisons de quartier, ponts ... Read more

$17.51 CAD

Les enjeux liés aux espaces de proximité, où les problèmes de la pauvreté, de l'exclusion, de l'immigration et de la jeunesse s'exposent de façon marquante, occupent une place de plus en plus importante dans la politique publique. Ces différentes contributions tentent d'analyser les interventions sociales dans ces espaces. Le positionnement des centres sociaux et des maisons de quartier, ponts
... Read more
La mise en scène du projet urbain

Pour une structuration des démarches

by Avitabile alain ...

Le projet urbain est devenu un "incontournable" du vocabulaire des acteurs de la ville et des territoires. Ce livre traite notamment la question du "process" en situant les différents acteurs présents sur la scène urbaine et celle du management des projets urbains. Il s'inscrit dans une exigence croissante de transparence et d'explication de la part des élus et des professionnels vis-à-vis de la ... Read more

$39.41 CAD

Le projet urbain est devenu un "incontournable" du vocabulaire des acteurs de la ville et des territoires. Ce livre traite notamment la question du "process" en situant les différents acteurs présents sur la scène urbaine et celle du management des projets urbains. Il s'inscrit dans une exigence croissante de transparence et d'explication de la part des élus et des professionnels vis-à-vis de la
... Read more
Happy City

Transforming Our Lives Through Urban Design

by Charles Montgomery ...

**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 ... Read more

$18.99 CAD

**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
... Read more
Walkable City

How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time

by Jeff Speck ...

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 ... Read more

$17.99 CAD

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
... Read more
Palaces for the People

How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life

by Eric Klinenberg ...

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • “A comprehensive, entertaining, and compelling argument for how rebuilding social infrastructure can help heal divisions in our society and move us forward.”—Jon StewartNAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR • “Engaging.”—Mayor Pete Buttigieg, The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice)We are living in a time of deep divisions. Americans are sorting themselves ... Read more

$13.99 CAD

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • “A comprehensive, entertaining, and compelling argument for how rebuilding social infrastructure can help heal divisions in our society and move us forward.”—Jon StewartNAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR • “Engaging.”—Mayor Pete Buttigieg, The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice)We are living in a time of deep divisions. Americans are sorting themselves
... Read more
The Culture of Cities

by Lewis Mumford ...

Series Book 19 - Forbidden Bookshelf
A classic work advocating ecological urban planning—from a civic visionary and former architecture critic for the New Yorker.Considered among the greatest works of Lewis Mumford—a prolific historian, sociologist, philosopher of technology, and longtime architecture critic for the New Yorker—The Culture of Cities is a call for communal action to "rebuild the urban world on a sounder human ... Read more

$15.19 CAD or Free with Kobo Plus

A classic work advocating ecological urban planning—from a civic visionary and former architecture critic for the New Yorker.Considered among the greatest works of Lewis Mumford—a prolific historian, sociologist, philosopher of technology, and longtime architecture critic for the New Yorker—The Culture of Cities is a call for communal action to "rebuild the urban world on a sounder human
... Read more
Confessions of a Recovering Engineer

Transportation for a Strong Town

by Charles L. Marohn Jr. ...

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 ... Read more

$21.99 CAD

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
... Read more

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