Book Reviews

For those of us who could stand to learn more about zoning, Nolan Gray gives us a list of suggested reading material for the beginner on up.

May 6, 2019 - Market Urbanism

Capital City casts planners as lackeys, serving the forces of capitalism.

April 22, 2019 - Josh Stephens

Planetizen's annual list of top books covers subjects in all varieties of planning: urban planning, community planning, environmental planning, and more.

November 26, 2018 - Josh Stephens

A new book on adaptive reuse of industrial buildings is reviewed by Carol Berens.

September 21, 2018 - UrbDeZine

Parking and the City features Shoup at his witty best, accompanied by a group of passionate collaborators for the cause of rational parking regulations. The future of parking reform is in good hands.

July 16, 2018 - James Brasuell

Jason Segedy's review of a must-read for all planners interested in the subject of "Legacy Cities."

June 17, 2018 - Notes from the Underground

In a history of the skid rows in American cities from the late 19th century until the urban renewal era of the 1960s, Ella Howard tells of the impoverished people who inhabited them and the policy choices that supported their existence.

December 13, 2017 - Linda Day

Reviewing Douglas Murphy's book "Last Futures: Nature, Technology and the End of Architecture," Jonathan Meades lays into the new utopianism of contemporary architecture. Silicon Valley gets portrayed as both foolish and hypocritical.

September 27, 2016 - London Review of Books

Eric Weiner's "The Geography of Genius" offers a delightful, if limited, analysis of cities throughout history where "genius" has arisen and offers inspiration for planners who want to make cities more than just places to live and do business.

March 4, 2016 - California Planning & Development Report

A book review of the newly released book, "Dream Cities," by Wade Graham.

February 9, 2016 - The New York Times

Sometimes, city walks can mean more than just getting from place to place. Author and book critic David Ulin discusses his favorite accounts of that rich experience.

January 21, 2016 - Barnes and Noble Review

The dust is still settling from Kelo v. New London, a 2005 Supreme Court Case allowing for expansive powers of eminent domain. A book released this year chronicles the effects of the landmark court case.

November 9, 2015 - The Federalist

A review of the book by Mike Lydon and Anthony Garcia asks the question. The answer is a clear "yes."

September 20, 2015 - California Planning & Development Report

Emma Marris reviews a new book by Andrew Ross, a cultural critic at New York University, that tries to understand how Phoenix came to be what it is, and determine whether there's any way it can be turned around.

March 18, 2012 - OnEarth

What cities are best prepared for climate change, and which will falter? Josh Stephens reviews Climatopolis: How Our Cities Will Thrive in a Hotter Future by Matthew Kahn.

April 7, 2011 - Josh Stephens

In this lavishly produced, beautifully illustrated but somewhat self-edifying book, His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales argues that most of our global crises -- from climate change to poverty to our soulless built environments -- are owed to our disconnection from Nature (which he capitalizes).

February 3, 2011 - Michael Dudley

In this review of the new book "The Trouble with City Planning", Joe Berridge finds that maybe the great thing about planning is its ability to deal with all its contradictions.

September 20, 2010 - The Globe and Mail