The Works: Anatomy of a City

by Kate Ascher

A behind-the-scenes account of the interconnected technology, transportation, and utility systems supporting New York City pairs detailed graphic images with accessible explanations of behind-the-scenes mechanisms and processes for key structures and everyday arenas. 60,000 first printing.

Genres: Nonfiction, Architecture, Cities, Urban Planning, New York, Urbanism, Science

240 pages, Hardcover

First published November 3, 2005

About the author

Kate Ascher is an author and was executive vice president of the New York City Economic Development Corporation. Her 2005 book, The Works: Anatomy of a City, a textual and graphic exploration of how the complicated and often overlapping infrastructure of a modern city works, garnered wide discussion and praise when it was published. She left the NYCEDC in 2007 for Vornado Realty Trust. She formerly held positions with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and in corporate finance.

Ascher received her M.Sc. and Ph.D. in government from the London School of Economics and her B.A. in political science from Brown University.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Riku Sayuj · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although this is a very New York specific book, in most of the chapters I could imagine parallels with cities I have lived in by stretching my imagination to traverse them as the book trolled the depths of New York.

The last chapter titled “The Future” was the most eagerly anticipated. But it turned out to be a complete let down - being the most New York specific of all and almost exclusively focused on future plans (mostly construction/dev plans) scheduled in the city for the near future. While this is a (refreshing?) departure from wild predictions to be just focusing on pending innovations, it was also thereby less applicable outside the area focused on.

The book entertained at times but in the end failed to deliver on the early promise that by understanding "The Works" of a sample city, it will teach me about how cities in general work and can be improved. 3 stars for that.

[Yes, I am very unfair - it is actually such a meticulously researched, well presented and aesthetically pleasing book - almost a collectible to have in your shelf at home].

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is brain candy for nerds who love to see how things work, and the best book of its sort that I can think of since David Macauley's book.

Am only halfway through this but love love love this. Exactly the sort of thing the young geek I was would pore over for days and weeks. Great details and illustrations of subway systems, water mains, parking meters, and more--all the crap that we use everyday without remarking it. And full of such groovy little bits of information! (The different kinds of subway cars in NYC; what the light combinations on the tracks mean; how the rail network keeps tabs on where cars are at any given moment; and more!) Yip!

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cities are, for my money, mankind's most astonishing invention. Their complexity is stupefying -- system within system, handling tons of material at any given time, whether the subject is cars across a bridge or the contents of a thousand home's flushing toilets. And the stakes are always high, with the health and happiness of millions on the line -- or at least, thousands. The Works is a dream of a book, a visual-rich guide to the many systems that keep cities thriving. Author Kate Ascher throws light not on just the expected -- roads and utilities, say -- but also minor things like the postal service. Using New York City as case study, Ascher explores systems for transportation, energy, communication, and sanitation in turn.

The Works stunned me again and again with its visuals. Readers are treated to an astonishing array of informative little diagrams: cutaways that show what's inside the Holland tunnel, for instance, or the underbelly of a street-sweeper, or the waterworks inside your average skyscraper. The pictures also demonstrate systems -- the chain of equipment required to convey power from a generating station into the average home, the links involved in a cell phone conversation, Some of the visuals are clever: for instance, to illustrate the variety of goods a train might carry, a cartoon representation of a real train runs along the bottom of every page in the chapter, each car marked with its contents. The same tactic is used to illustrate the electromagnetic spectrum in the chapter on communication. The bounty of visual information here is ludicrous -- showcasing fleets of sanitation vehicles and subway cars, mapping out train yards and container ship docks, -- it's staggering, really. Statistics are presented visually, too, and of course there are tons of maps -- including one that shows all the traffic cameras in the city. There are a few sample pages on Streetsblog, all from the chapter on streets.

That's not to say The Works is merely a picture book, because there's no small amount of text here explaining the importance of all these systems, reviewing their evolution within New York City, and sharing the particulars of their operation. Reading this book is kind of like reading Gone Tomorrow, Picking Up, The Grid, Flushed! On the Grid, etc, all at once, all rolled into one, and with gobs and gobs and gobs of illustration. It does lack a chapter on the infrastructure of the internet, which isn't an oversight that would be made if it were published today.



Related
On The Grid: A Plot of Land, an Average Neighborhood, and the Systems that Make Our World Work, Scott Huler. Kind of like this but on a smaller scale with more detail and sans pictures.
Straphanger, Tom Standage
Picking Up: On the Streets and Behind the Trucks with the Sanitation Workers of NYC, Robin Nagle

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to love Kate Ascher’s “The Works: Anatomy of a City.” I was looking forward to turning the pages with fascinated glee like I did as a kid with the anatomy and physiology textbooks and their transparent overlays of all the body’s systems. I had also hoped it would be something of a companion piece to Alan Weisman’s excellent “The World Without Us” — the former illustrating how we keep a city alive, the latter examining what happens when we’re not around to do so.

Though meticulously researched, wonderfully designed, and filled with hundreds of detailed illustrations, “The Works,” largely failed on all fronts. While abound in breadth, it is uniformly lacking in depth. While loaded with detail, there is no analysis of any of it. While its five sections — moving people, moving freight, power, communications, and sanitation — are perfectly delineated, each is discussed in a vacuum, and a look at how these systems work together would have been welcome.

Finally, while the book was specific to New York City, it wasn’t difficult to extrapolate its anatomy to other places I’ve lived, but its final section, the future, was a complete let-down. Here’s where all the threads could have been tied together, the litany of facts and figures given some context and put towards a discussion about what is through the lens of what could be. Instead, Ascher offers a NYC-only list of near- and medium-term infrastructure plans that can only be characterized as mundane, even to residents of the five boroughs. A fitting end, then, to a book I can best characterize as part DMV manual, part city council presentation, and part urban studies primer.

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This visually detailed journey through the infrastructure of New York City was absolutely outstanding. Although admittedly a little biased as a native New Yorker, I found the author’s research and delivery to be incredibly fascinating for anyone who is the least bit curious about how things work. From bridge construction to harbor regulations, from mail delivery to water treatment, this unique and accessible book provided so much insight into how the modern city adapts and functions (while also illustrating how dependent cities in general are on surrounding areas). With simple, effective visuals to enhance the text, I really can’t recommend this excellent book enough.

[Jatan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mandatory reading material if you’re coming up on 5 years in New York. I enjoyed the book although I would’ve liked to see expanded sections on groceries, street cleaning, and public park maintenance.

[Conor Ahern · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book, but that's not to say I'd recommend it to anyone. But for a certain type of dilettantish urban studies enthusiast (which I very much consider myself to be), this is an excellent and very entertaining read. Supremely digestible, pithy and loaded with helpful diagrams and winsome illustrations, Ascher walks us through every little idiosyncrasy, creative solution, and cludgey-workaround-made-custom to show us how New York City ticks. If you're someone who wonders how things like subway signaling or waste disposal works and enjoy finding out, or if you're someone who enjoys finding out neat things that you never bothered to wonder about before (did you know that the top of the Empire State Building was originally designed to anchor dirigibles?!), this book will delight you. And it is very NYC-heavy, but I would imagine it would apply in most cases to many large North American cities.

I already have her next book, The Heights: Anatomy of a Skyscraper on order from the Brooklyn Public Library, and very excited for it.

[Nicholas · Rating 3 out of 5]

A broad overview of urban infrastructure that suffers from a lack of detail, e.g. a description of various bridge types does not explain reasons for using one type over another. While New Yorks serves as a good archetype of the modern city, some general exposition in the book, such as discussion of radio wavelengths and power voltage seems too generalized and unconvincing. Suited for a high school age audience, I found myself wanting more detail. You will find yourself more closely examining manhole covers and other features of the urban environment after reading however, with the knowledge of what lies underneath.

[Snail in Danger (Sid) Nicolaides · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was hoping for a David Macaulay-type book, with lots of neat details. But this didn't really have many of those. The title made me think that it was about cities generally, but it mostly focused on New York. The section about how New York has historically gotten its water was interesting, though. And the part on sanitation wasn't bad.

[Justin Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing read. With as many pictures as words, this book provides an incredibly detailed look into the systems of the city that go unnoticed. Ever wonder what those big steel canisters are on NYC sidewalks? Or how about why your radiator is "knocking"? This book has all that and much much more.

[Julian Lasius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for its time and though largely relevant, it would be great to see an update! Depictions were very useful and saved time using Google, some world maps however were pretty off (though given the book is not a geography book, this doesn’t affect the content). Overall well worth the read.

[Ksenia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this account of how New York - as a representative of an around-the-clock highly coordinated metropolis - works. It wasn't by any means a stale read, it was accessible, amply and aptly illustrated, thoroughly fascinating. In places, it was even almost too accessible and superficial (but to be fair, you could have a book for every of the chapters of the book) and read like a 7th grade geography textbook. However, I will definitely be going over some pages again to solidify some understanding of how any given system/service works.

FunFact: Communications chapter was a drag, Keeping it Clean whereas Moving People and Freight, as well as Waste Management were an absolute delight! :)

[Shawnna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went into this book thinking it would be a high-level overview of the urban planning/design of modern cities with the main focus being on New York. It was, however a microscopic view of the city and how it functions... which at first I wasn't quite meshing with because of my preconceived notions but in the end I really enjoyed reading this. I cannot walk around the city I live in now without thinking of this book and what it has taught me about both visible and hidden systems in place that make urban living not only doable but amazing.

[Cindy · Rating 2 out of 5]

No mention of petroleum?

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, but not as much as I was expecting to. Though I knew going in that it was a book about New York City, I was hoping that I would get a better perspective on how cities "work" in general. The subtitle "Anatomy of a City" led me to believe that this would provide me with a cross-section of a sample city that could then be applied to other cities. However, because New York is so unique (and old) I feel like its infrastructure is probably not a reliable comparison to many other cities. In short, what I hoped for was "anatomy of CITIES" but instead got the "anatomy of A city".

That being said, I did find this book very interesting. The illustrations were superb and likely contributed more than the actual text. This is a book that can easily be flipped open to any page and immediately grab your attention. I certainly learned a ton. For example, I had no idea that NYC provides steam as a regular utility, the way other cities provide water or power (page 116). The section on the pneumatic tube mail system was also a pleasant surprise (page 136). I was also fascinated (and disgusted) by the section on sewage. It completely grosses me out that the city still dumps raw sewage into the harbor (page 174).

I was a little disappointed by the depth of some of the information. I feel like the book did a really good job of providing a very broad overview of the aspects of city infrastructure, but in certain places I wanted it to go into more detail. What would have MADE this book is an illustration showing how ALL of these various elements of infrastructure are laid out together on a city block. I can imagine that between the subway, the water pipes, sewer pipes, steam pipes, electric lines, old pneumatic mail tubes, building substructures, etc., there isn't much room left for plain old mother earth.

[Toros Yesja · Rating 2 out of 5]

First of all, very misleading name: I thought I was going to learn how to run a city, instead I learned that Maiden Lane was named so because maidens back in the old days drew water from wells along a stream that ran across the present street or something like that, though I do admit that learning this was quite pleasant.

There were some interesting moments and information spread out through the pages, like Colonel George Waring (hats off to that guy) and the 1968 sanitation worker strikes (which wasn't mentioned in the book, but Waring's White Wings led me down a rabbit-hole).

Let's rate the book:
- You lose two stars for not diving deep enough into anything. I learned nothing at all about general urban infrastructure from the book itself.
- You lose another star for being nothing more than 240 pages of raw, tasteless, and boring data about New York City. I wouldn't have normally taken a star for this reason, but it shows that all the author(s) did was survey various departments across NYC (and then commission some fancy diagrams and illustrations to accompany the data), as opposed to explaining what the problem and challenges were, how X solved it, and how Y did it, etc. (this second reason is perhaps the same as the first)
- You win one half a star back due to the amount of work that must have gone through the writing/illustrations.

I suppose I am to blame for my disappointment, I should have evaluated the book better before starting to read.

Overall rating: 2.5 stars, rounded down to 2 because I am very disappointed.

[Ryan Fohl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This reads like a text book (and by the time I read it, a little out of date.) Do not be fooled; this is a book about New York City only. Would have been nice to have a page about New York City geography since it will be constantly referenced. But the writing is constantly assuming the reader know some things and then Insulting you intelligence with other topics. Like yes I know how a phone works but how the hell is steam used as air conditioning. Everyone will learn something if they crack this book open, but it is inconsistent. It’s scary how vulnerable our infrastructure is, and how interdependent.

What I learned: I bought the book because I wanted to know what those steam chimneys were on New York streets and now I know. How tunnels are cleaned. How New York gets water. What happens to bio solids. Dumping sludge in the water and why. How to expand a harbor. The subway isn’t fully automated and why. Why infrastructure is so expensive and some times worth working on for five decades. There are power plants and sewer plants in Manhattan. Amazing torpedo robots.

[Josiah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is filled with information and insight into how New York City worked 15 years ago. Its breathtaking just to contemplate the vast scale of the many services and resources that go into supporting a modern city.

Yet two stars come off my review because #1. Its old enough now I suspect a lot of the information is no longer accurate.
#2. Sometimes the captions and explanations are confusing to read. Partly just the difficulty of translating technical ideas into short statements to coincide with pictures - still I think it could have been done a lot better and would have make the book much better/smoother/easier to read and more enlightening.

I belabor all of the above to just say this, despite these flaws, I consider this well worth the read and wish every city in America had an up-to date book like this to help people better understand their city services.

[Nikky · Rating 3 out of 5]

'The Works' is a book that ultimately doesn't know what it wants to be, despite a unique and compelling subject matter. While trying to explain the infrastructure workings of a modern city by taking a look at New York City, the book switches between extremely cool nuggets of technical information on one page before going back to a broad stroke on the next. The illustrations are largely useful, but they seem too common: whenever something could be better explained in text, they usually decided to go with a largely ineffective graphic instead.

There's lots to learn here, but you'll end with a nagging feeling that there was a lot of opportunity wasted.

[Pauline · Rating 3 out of 5]

NYC is way too crowded and noisy for me to want to visit, let alone live there, but it's interesting to read about what it takes in terms of infrastructure to keep the city running. Some of the info applies to cities of any size, in terms of the kind of infrastructure needed, though a lot of it is specific to the geography and technologies used in NYC. I couldn't help wondering how much of it has changed in the almost 20 years since the book was written, though I imagine the bulk of it has not, outside of the communications chapter. I wouldn't call it fascinating but it kept me occupied for a few hours (while stuck at home with COVID).

[Theresa Lynch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sigh - I love books like this. They appeal to my details-maps-info graphics-loving side of me. And the fact that it's the details for my #1 city, NYC, just makes it even better.
Yes, I really do think the sewer system is fascinating. Don't want to be in the middle of it physically... And yes, amazing to see where all the mail gets processed (although should be interesting to see how impacted with the latest USPS woes)

[Jake Rong · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found "The Works" to be an enjoyable read. It lives up to its title. Imagine an "Encyclopedia of the human body" with many cut-aways showing all of the internal organs using spectacular, 3D CGI diagrams and illustrations in full color. This book features plenty of those, and is indeed an unabridged "anatomy of a city". Author K. Ascher more than excels in demonstrating her intimate knowledge of how cities operate on a daily basis, using New York as its base.

[Cheryll Case · Rating 1 out of 5]

Horrible. The title suggests that the book will bring to light and examine parts the exist in cities - meaning al cities. In reality, this book only does this For the City of New York. Even more disappointing, is that this book only deals with PHYSICAL infrastructures. It does not pay any respects to social, or political infrastructures.

I'm upset that it will go on my library record that I have rented this book.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was VERY detailed about all the public works that made NYC go in 2005. From the subway and trains and airports to garbage collection and even how sewer and water pipes are hooked up. I'm sure quite a bit has changed. The pictures were interesting and well done but it was still some dense reading. I enjoyed learning many new facts I will bore people with the next time we are in New York.

[Leeroy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not sure who the target audience is. The content wavered between 'oh, I knew that' and 'meh, I don't find that interesting ' diagrams were cool. Overall concept was cool. Didn't particularly land for me. Ymmv

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this an amazing book if you love discovering how things work, esp in a city like NYC. Strange to say, but it was a real page turner for me.

[Gabriel · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is great, it provides visuals and I like how it shows the composition of a city to the finest detail. It covers many aspects of a city.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like a children's book for adults, about infrastructure. How cities (mostly NYC) work. Beautifully illustrated. Like reading a really great game of Sim City.

[Beau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mind-blowing trivia. I would, however, retitle it "The Works: Anatomy of New York City."

[Matthew Laing · Rating 4 out of 5]

No quite as amazing as I thought it would be since it does fudge a bit on technical information.