The Language of Cities

Posted on 22 November 2017 by Deyan Sudjic

We live in a world that is now predominantly urban So how do we define the city as it evolves in the 21st century Drawing examples from across the globe, Deyan Sudjic decodes the underlying forces that shape our cities, such as resources and land, to the ideas that shape conscious elements of design, whether of buildings or of space Erudite and entertaining, he considers the differences between capital cities and the rest to understand why it is that we often feel comfortable in our identities as Londoners, Muscovites, or Mumbaikars than in our national identities. New Read [ The Language of Cities ] by [ Deyan Sudjic ] – kino-fada.fr This was another book I picked up while browsing in the library visually appealing covers strike again The Language of Cities was a good book to pack for the train, as this edition is compact and very prettily presented I also found it involving enough, just not hugely insightful I guess I ve studied and read about urban issues quite a bit, so it seemed a bit superf... The Language of Cities is a study into what defines a city, and the forces behind it that both limit and sustain it Deyan describes the city as an organic state of being, something we re quickly losing in the face of rapid development and sterilization of urban life On second reading, the layers of The Language of Cities, despite its small volume, gives us a lot to think about Across the different chapters, his focus is mainly on London, Silicon Valley and Celebration, Florida but the key p The Language of Cities is a study into what defines a city, and the forces...This could be so good When the author talks about the broader ideas of cities, their development, and their meaning, his writing is beautiful and his arguments are concise and convincing For example, the last chapter, Crowds and Their Discontents, is a wonderful take on why people are drawn to crowds in spite of the fear they invoke It is full of interesting yet brief anecdotes that get the point across beautifully Where this book is good it s great.I did find, however, that the author let h This could be so good When t...La lectura me ha dejado un sabor agridulce.Hay partes muy interesantes, donde el autor explica a grandes rasgos temas complejos a trav s de ejemplos concretos de varias ciudades De este modo vemos qu son las ciudades donuts, los efectos de la urbanizaci n y el turismo masivo, o de las nuevas tecnolog as Otra idea interesante es la visi n de la ciudad como un organismo vivo regido por la misma ley de supervivencia No obstante, el libro tiene momentos tediosos como las p ginas dedicadas a Cana La lectura me ha dejado un sabor agridulce.Hay partes muy interesantes, donde el autor explica a grandes rasgos temas complejos a trav s de ejemplos concretos de varias ciudades De este modo vemos qu son las ciudades donuts, los efectos de la urbanizaci n y el turismo masivo, o de las nuevas tecnolog as Otra idea interesante es la visi n de la ciudad como un organismo vivo regido por la misma ley de supervivencia No obstante...As usual, Sudjic delivers a highly readable book, this time on the nature of cities, disseminating why they are as they are It zips along at quite a pace and gives a thorough overview of several cities he knows well, like London and New York I always enjoy the way he pulls together different strands, even when he often gets sidetracked by projects that he has particular knowledge of, such as the rejuvenation of London s Docklands I m not sure I learned an...I began reading this book with the hope that it would help understand how great cities came to be, what makes a city, and such The book however turned out to be a disappointment It s setlike a case study, and the author presumes prior knowledg...Fluent, readable musings on what makes a city from the director of the Design Museum The book focuses mainly on London, but also offers insights into Paris, New York, Tokyo, Mexico City andI particularly enjoyed the detailed chapter on the rise of Canary Wharf from bygone dockyard to lea...I love Sudjic s wise, insightful and fluent style I can read his books with the speed of app 50 pages in an hour that strolls at the intersections of art, design and architecture but I think at times he writes quite instinctively either this or he has a careless editor which...Unlike other reads by Mr Sudjic, of whose writing endeavours I am a fan, this one was a cumbersome and difficult to track as thoughts and messages Closed the last page dissatisfied and not much stored as reference, spark and information.very academic themed book.Cities mentioned include London, New York Jane Jacobs street activity , Robert Moses top down planning , Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, Silicon Valley, SF, Los Angeles, Paris.

22 November 2017

Deyan Sudjic