Atlas of Cities

by Richard Florida (Foreword), Paul Knox (Editor)

More than half the world's population lives in cities, and that proportion is expected to rise to three-quarters by 2050. Urbanization is a global phenomenon, but the way cities are developing, the experience of city life, and the prospects for the future of cities vary widely from region to region. The "Atlas of Cities" presents a unique taxonomy of cities that looks at different aspects of their physical, economic, social, and political structures; their interactions with each other and with their hinterlands; the challenges and opportunities they present; and where cities might be going in the future.

Each chapter explores a particular type of city--from the foundational cities of Greece and Rome and the networked cities of the Hanseatic League, through the nineteenth-century modernization of Paris and the industrialization of Manchester, to the green and "smart" cities of today. Expert contributors explore how the development of these cities reflects one or more of the common themes of urban development: the mobilizing function (transport, communication, and infrastructure); the generative function (innovation and technology); the decision-making capacity (governance, economics, and institutions); and the transformative capacity (society, lifestyle, and culture).

Using stunning info-graphics, maps, charts, tables, and photographs, the "Atlas of Cities" is a comprehensive overview of the patterns of production, consumption, generation, and decay of the twenty-first century's defining form.Presents a one-of-a-kind taxonomy of cities that looks at their origins, development, and future prospectsFeatures core case studies of particular types of cities, from the foundational cities of Greece and Rome to the "smart" cities of todayExplores common themes of urban development, from transport and communication to lifestyle and cultureIncludes stunning info-graphics, maps, charts, tables, and photos

Additional material for this book:

Cities Featured:

Abuja, Alexandria, Amsterdam, Athens, Augsburg, Babylon, Beijing, Berlin, Brasilia, Bruges, Budapest, Cairo, Canberra, Chandigarh, Chicago, Constantinople, Curitiba, Detroit, Dubai, Dublin, Dusseldorf, Florence, Frankfurt, Freiburg, Geneva, Ghent, Glasgow, Gussing, Hong Kong, Innsbruck, Istanbul, Jakarta, Karachi, Knossos, Las Vegas, London, Los Angeles, Lubeck, Manchester, Marseille, Masdar City, Mexico City, Miami, Milan, Mumba, Mumbai, Nairobi, New York, Paris, Pella, Portland, Rome, San Francisco, Santorini, Sao Paulo, Seoul, Shanghai, Sheffield, Singapore, Sparta, St. Petersburg, Stockholm, Sydney, Syracuse, Tokyo, Vancouver, Venice, Vienna, Washington, D.C., Wildpoldsried"

Genres: Nonfiction, Geography, Maps, Urbanism, Reference, History, Urban Planning

256 pages, Hardcover

First published June 21, 2014

About the author

Richard Florida (born 1957 in Newark, New Jersey) is an American urban studies theorist.
Richard Florida's focus is on social and economic theory. He is currently a professor and head of the Martin Prosperity Institute at the Rotman School of Management, at the University of Toronto. He also heads a private consulting firm, the Creative Class Group.
Prof. Florida received a PhD from Columbia University in 1986. Prior to joining George Mason University's School of Public Policy, where he spent two years, he taught at Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz College in Pittsburgh from 1987 to 2005. He was named a Senior Editor at The Atlantic in March 2011 after serving as a correspondent for TheAtlantic.com for a year.

Reviews

[Du · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an incredibly imaginative and creative book. I like that it is trying to demonstrate the different types and styles of cities with interesting explanations and call outs, as opposed to a detailed history or primer on cities. The illustrations pop off the page, no matter the style and the linkages formed between the ideas and the images are clever and insightful. This is definitely a keeper for those interested in urban affairs, cities or planning.

[E · Rating 2 out of 5]

An odd and inconsistent melange of Urban Geography 101 and coffee table matter.

There is not much to challenge or update my thinking, except the distinctions briefly made between town-ness and city-ness on page 37. (Confession: I am an, admittedly long-retired, urban geographer.)

As well, the page layouts tend to be confusing. (What do I read or look at first? Help!)

Would I recommend it to a nascent urban geographer? Probably not.

[Aileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly engaging and the infographics were interesting

[Dansav · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bueno? Bonito e interesante. Es muy general y presenta datos de territorios.

[Thomas Devlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and creative read for anyone interested in better understanding the role different types of cities play in the global economy.

[Lily Keefauver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Modern book with lots of beautiful visuals and examples. Short and sweet and not a typical atlas. I love this book and kinda wish I didn't write in sharpie in it

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting tome! More textbook than casual reading, the designer in me loved the maps and infographic style layouts

[Keen Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a bumper collection of facts, stats, history and colour. Tracing the origins of the city back to the foundation cities of Athens and Rome, charting the evolution of trade between cities and countries and how they grew, developed and continue to rise and fall. It highlights the geo-strategic importance of such great, enduring cities like Byzantium/Constantinople/Istanbul. It shows the significance and use of overt symbols in design and architecture of political and imperial power, reinforcing the ideology and politics of leaders. It uses examples of how architecture can play such a huge part, such as the walls of Vienna which famously repelled the Ottomans from venturing deeper into Western Europe.

This book is teeming with some really nice maps with clear, clean information, sidebars and colour photographs that all pull together making a great all round package. It’s backed by solid research and succeeds in drawing from so many diverse sources from the classical period to even the inclusion of celebrities and cities, pulling together all of these threads to create a wonderfully rich and colourful tapestry of the cities of the world. To give only some small and brief examples, the work on places like Istanbul and Paris are nothing short of excellent. This not only acts as a compelling historical and geographical guide it sparks interest in these cities acting like a guide book too.

We get a dark insight into the Industrial era, where the squalid conditions endured by the working class in the emerging industrial cities of Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool and Sheffield. We learn that in 1841 in England the average life expectancy for a working class person was 26.6 with 57% of children dying before their fifth birthday. There is also one reported instance of 250 people sharing the one toilet.

On a more optimistic and forward looking note, we get a look into renewable energy and the growing trend of the Model green, sustainable cities of the world, such as Freiburg in Germany, Stockholm, Curitiba in Brazil and the emergence of the Slow City movement and urban gardens.
It also explores the challenges and many opportunities that face the cities of the world in the future, such as over population (China has 6 mega-cities and counting) or global warming and the rising sea levels that will effect hundreds of millions.

This is essential reading for anyone with an interest the subject, the layout is clear, precise and informative and the detail and use of colour help to bring the subject alive. The text is eloquent yet accessible and there is plenty to learn and it leaves you with even more to think about.