Books about Cities

'The City Shaped' by Spiro Kostof

Explains why cities look and are structured the way they are. Also, an impressive treaty on the many qualities and iterations of the grid.

'The Image of the City' by Kevin Lynch

This is where you'll find out about the character and image of the city. The book also teaches the fundamentals of urban maps; of how landmarks, edges, paths, etc combine to create easy to navigate spaces.

'A Burglar's Guide to the City' by Geoff Manaugh

A crucial insight into how different people of differing interests (in this case, well, burglars) look at urban space and architecture.

'A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction' by Christopher Alexander, Sara Ishikawa, and Murray Silverstein

It's huge, and impressive, and most probably guided how the World of Warcraft world was designed.

'The Spotter's Guide to Urban Engineering' by Claire Baratt & Ian Whitelaw

Covers everything from transport systems, sewers, and aqueducts, to bridges, wrecking yards, and manholes. Always remember that infrastructure is a city's skeleton.

'An Architectural Approach to Level Design' by Christopher W. Totten

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