What do you think?
Rate this book
Close-Up: How to Read the American City
"Grady Clay looks hard at the landscape, finding out who built what and why, noticing who participates in a city's success and who gets left in a 'sink,' or depressed (often literally) area. Clay doesn't stay in the city; he looks at industrial towns, truck stops, suburbs—nearly anywhere people live or work. His style is witty and readable, and the book is crammed with illustrations that clarify his points. If I had to pick up one book to guide my observations of the American scene, this would be it."—Sonia Simone, Whole Earth Review
"The emphasis on the informal aspects of city-shaping—topographical, historical, economic and social—does much to counteract the formalist approach to American urban design. Close-Up ...should be required reading for anyone wishing to understand Americans and their cities."—Roger Cunliffe, Architectural Review
" Close-Up is a provocative and stimulating book."—Thomas J. Schlereth, Winterthur Portfolio
"Within this coherent string of essays, the urban dweller or observer, as well as the student, will find refreshing strategies for viewing the environmental 'situations' interacting to form a landscape."— Dallas Morning News
"Clay's Close-Up , first published in 1973, is still a key book for looking at the real American city. Too many urban books and guidebooks concentrate on the good parts of the city....Clay looks at all parts of the city, the suburbs, and the places between cities, and develops new terms to describe parts of the built environment— fronts, strips, beats, stacks, sinks, and turf . No one who wants to understand American cities or to describe them, should fail to know this book. The illustrations are of special interest to the guidebook writer."— American Urban Guidenotes
"The emphasis on the informal aspects of city-shaping—topographical, historical, economic and social—does much to counteract the formalist approach to American urban design. Close-Up ...should be required reading for anyone wishing to understand Americans and their cities."—Roger Cunliffe, Architectural Review
" Close-Up is a provocative and stimulating book."—Thomas J. Schlereth, Winterthur Portfolio
"Within this coherent string of essays, the urban dweller or observer, as well as the student, will find refreshing strategies for viewing the environmental 'situations' interacting to form a landscape."— Dallas Morning News
"Clay's Close-Up , first published in 1973, is still a key book for looking at the real American city. Too many urban books and guidebooks concentrate on the good parts of the city....Clay looks at all parts of the city, the suburbs, and the places between cities, and develops new terms to describe parts of the built environment— fronts, strips, beats, stacks, sinks, and turf . No one who wants to understand American cities or to describe them, should fail to know this book. The illustrations are of special interest to the guidebook writer."— American Urban Guidenotes
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1980
3 people are currently reading
117 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 23, 2020
Admittedly I'm new to reading in this area, so others more conversant may be less impressed, but this book has had a profound effect upon me and was just what I was looking for! In seeking to understand and work with urban and suburban neighborhoods, I was trying to get beyond mere data analysis, as important as that may be. Clay's book offers exactly that: a way of seeing and relying upon our own eyes and memory.
He also recognizes the calcifying effect of language upon the ever-changing spaces of cities, that language can alter perception (that he references Merleau-Ponty just sweetens the deal for me). Thus, "the approach I recommend for grappling with this changeling is a dedication to firsthand observation of phenomena, together with a loosening of our language" (p. 17). Calling something "downtown," for instance, may fix it as something in people's minds long after that area no longer effectively serves as a downtown, or when there are multiple centers to a city. He also recognizes how little studied most cities are and that data only captures some of the story: "Most American cities are so grossly under-studied, most urban scenes so short-lived, that every person's own memory becomes a historic record, especially west of the Mississippi and in mushrooming suburbias" (p. 14).
Beyond his general framework, he offers many practical ideas, guidance on how to see and read the American city. The many pictures and maps he includes help with this. And though the book is very dated, the pictures and maps make it an interesting historical record. Some of these ideas are the notions of "breaks," changes in the grids of city streets that may separate the areas in which people organize their lives; "beats" which are the paths or routines by which people organize their lives; "turf" which points out the ways that people denote boundaries and borders in subtle and not so subtle ways. Once you know what to look for, you start seeing these things everywhere. He throws in casual asides, such as exploring a neighborhood after a fresh snow so as to see the footprints to better understand where people walk and children play (or don't play). I did this after reading his suggestion, to great effect and impressing my manager at work!
In short, if you take this book for what it is--an encouragement to start seeing and understanding cities and neighborhoods at the street level--it is incredibly insightful and helpful, despite the intervening decades. At least it was for this beginner in the field.
He also recognizes the calcifying effect of language upon the ever-changing spaces of cities, that language can alter perception (that he references Merleau-Ponty just sweetens the deal for me). Thus, "the approach I recommend for grappling with this changeling is a dedication to firsthand observation of phenomena, together with a loosening of our language" (p. 17). Calling something "downtown," for instance, may fix it as something in people's minds long after that area no longer effectively serves as a downtown, or when there are multiple centers to a city. He also recognizes how little studied most cities are and that data only captures some of the story: "Most American cities are so grossly under-studied, most urban scenes so short-lived, that every person's own memory becomes a historic record, especially west of the Mississippi and in mushrooming suburbias" (p. 14).
Beyond his general framework, he offers many practical ideas, guidance on how to see and read the American city. The many pictures and maps he includes help with this. And though the book is very dated, the pictures and maps make it an interesting historical record. Some of these ideas are the notions of "breaks," changes in the grids of city streets that may separate the areas in which people organize their lives; "beats" which are the paths or routines by which people organize their lives; "turf" which points out the ways that people denote boundaries and borders in subtle and not so subtle ways. Once you know what to look for, you start seeing these things everywhere. He throws in casual asides, such as exploring a neighborhood after a fresh snow so as to see the footprints to better understand where people walk and children play (or don't play). I did this after reading his suggestion, to great effect and impressing my manager at work!
In short, if you take this book for what it is--an encouragement to start seeing and understanding cities and neighborhoods at the street level--it is incredibly insightful and helpful, despite the intervening decades. At least it was for this beginner in the field.
October 2, 2021
This was first published in 1973, and the introduction scared me with its dated language about “bags” and “trips,” which everyone is rightfully embarrassed about now. But chapter 1 sets sail with proper untrendy lingo, and it’s a very good read. All the ideas are graspable and engaging, but nothing feels revolutionary to my 2021 ears. The question I had, reading 48 years after the fact, is: Was this book so groundbreaking and influential that its ideas have been propagated to the point of near invisibility (a la The Beatles), or good but not great and just kind of full of its mediocre self (a la The Doors)?
Whichever it is, it did provoke some new thoughts. And I greatly appreciate the democratic thrust at work. Clay gives every aspect of the city its due - even the “ugly” parts - and he loudly advocates walking and looking with your own eyes, rather than reading about it from some self-professed expert. The city evolves fast, Clay reminds us to never stop looking and asking questions.
Whichever it is, it did provoke some new thoughts. And I greatly appreciate the democratic thrust at work. Clay gives every aspect of the city its due - even the “ugly” parts - and he loudly advocates walking and looking with your own eyes, rather than reading about it from some self-professed expert. The city evolves fast, Clay reminds us to never stop looking and asking questions.
February 20, 2017
Fairly good, but somehow not as satisfying as I'd hoped. I think its main value to me is as a historical view of the city, as it's now approaching fifty years old...
August 24, 2017
A required book for my historical geography class in college. Still fascinating because of the documentation of cities at that time (check out the pictures of Atlanta, so different!).
June 8, 2019
I’d have all my intro to planning students read this book.
August 5, 2012
I'd give this book 4 stars but it is terribly outdated, so I'm knocking off a star so as not to encourage people. really. this needs at least 20 years worth of updating! It does give the basics of urban planning principles. Its an easy read. It also has some wonderful maps. otherwise it is like watching the old Disney driving videos. Even kids who aren't all that aware of what the rules of the road are, can tell that the driving rules in those cartoons are out of date... enough said. now some professor get your tail out there and update it, you know publish or Perish!
May 14, 2015
Even if this book was available as an audio book, read it in print form. The illustrations and maps really drive home the planning techniques used across cities in the US that Clay explains. If you enjoy learning by visuals, you'll especially like this text on how to look at American cities. Clay backs his writing with numerous sources which are cataloged in the Notes in back.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews