Classic & Foundational Urban Planning Books

Daily writing prompt
What advice would you give to your teenage self?
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  1. “Garden Cities of To-Morrow”
    • Author: Ebenezer Howard
    • Year: 1898
    • Key Idea: Introduced the Garden City concept, advocating self-contained communities with greenbelts.
  2. “The City in History”
    • Author: Lewis Mumford
    • Year: 1961
    • Key Idea: A historical analysis of urban development and planning.
  3. “The Death and Life of Great American Cities”
    • Author: Jane Jacobs
    • Year: 1961
    • Key Idea: Criticized modernist urban planning and emphasized vibrant, mixed-use neighborhoods.
  4. “Urbanism as a Way of Life”
    • Author: Louis Wirth
    • Year: 1938
    • Key Idea: Explored how urbanization shapes social structures.
  5. “The Image of the City”
    • Author: Kevin Lynch
    • Year: 1960
    • Key Idea: Introduced concepts like legibility and mental maps in city planning.

Modern & Contemporary Planning Books

  1. “A Theory of Good City Form”
    • Author: Kevin Lynch
    • Year: 1981
    • Key Idea: Developed a framework for evaluating urban design quality.
  2. “Good City Form”
    • Author: Kevin Lynch
    • Year: 1984
    • Key Idea: Expanded on his earlier work on city imageability and planning.
  3. “Cities of Tomorrow: An Intellectual History of Urban Planning and Design in the Twentieth Century”
    • Author: Peter Hall
    • Year: 1988
    • Key Idea: Analyzes urban planning theories and their real-world applications.
  4. “The Just City”
    • Author: Susan S. Fainstein
    • Year: 2010
    • Key Idea: Advocates for social justice in urban planning.
  5. “The Resilient City: How Modern Cities Recover from Disaster”
  • Authors: Lawrence J. Vale & Thomas J. Campanella
  • Year: 2005
  • Key Idea: Examines how cities rebuild after disasters.

Transportation & Sustainable Planning Books

  1. “The High Cost of Free Parking”
  • Author: Donald Shoup
  • Year: 2005
  • Key Idea: Discusses how excessive parking requirements harm urban areas.
  1. “Transit-Oriented Development in the United States”
  • Authors: Robert Cervero et al.
  • Year: 2004
  • Key Idea: Explores the benefits and design principles of Transit-Oriented Development (TOD).
  1. “Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time”
  • Author: Jeff Speck
  • Year: 2012
  • Key Idea: Promotes walkability as key to successful urban planning.
  1. “The Sustainable Urban Development Reader”
  • Authors: Stephen Wheeler & Timothy Beatley
  • Year: 2004
  • Key Idea: A collection of important essays on sustainable urbanism.
  1. “Cycling and Society”
  • Authors: Dave Horton, Paul Rosen, Peter Cox
  • Year: 2007
  • Key Idea: Examines cycling’s role in urban transport and sustainability