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duparker's review against another edition
5.0
Fantastic book, in both form and content. Mr. Chakrabarti has created an incredibly thoughtful and well researched book. The thesis is that if Americans lived and worked in a denser urban development, we'd have a stronger and more sustainable economy. He outlines his thoughts about how to implement this vision with simple and complex ideas, which might be off putting on the surface, but really make sense when you strip away the concern for implementation, because he articulates the advantages of the urban-orientated lifestyle vs the existing ways we find ourselves in. Chakrabarti accomplishes this by demonstrating that our current means, promoting suburbia, are flawed and create an unsustainable future.
To convey this message, simple yet powerful graphics and charts are used to aid the reader in understanding many of the figures and statistics used throughout the book. The format alone is worth checking the book out. Basically the text is presented on the right hand page, and the diagrams/illustrations of the facts are presented on the left hand page. With this information you get so much out of reading this book.
To convey this message, simple yet powerful graphics and charts are used to aid the reader in understanding many of the figures and statistics used throughout the book. The format alone is worth checking the book out. Basically the text is presented on the right hand page, and the diagrams/illustrations of the facts are presented on the left hand page. With this information you get so much out of reading this book.
slimjymshorts's review against another edition
3.0
I read this book on my subway commute in like a week. I dream of hyper density and high speed, as an immigrant who cannot drive and is still searching for community. I loved the evocative visions of future cities and anguished at the painful reality of American urbanism. Poetic language was mixed a little too much with information, the inconsistent tone was distracting. The graphics were visually fun but not rigorously quantified, organized, or labeled. But also I admit that I am an energy scientist and a much harsher critic than most. It also was a little verbose. Many paragraphs felt repetitive without contributing anything new.
smartcookiesca's review against another edition
5.0
A Country of Cities makes an unconquerable argument and plants mental seeds you’ll want to grow.
harleig_h's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
3.75
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