Spiro KostofThe City Shaped: Urban Patterns and Meanings Through History

Well written, consistently interesting and structured around the challenges of topography and the urban form demands invoked by market needs, political architectures and cultural expectations through history, this beautifully illustrated book delivers the promise of its title and a lot more.Because the author, Spiro Kostof, organized his book by patterns and topological relationships, the text compresses history and geographies into a comparative perspective. This presents a disadvantage to the reader if he/she is interested in only one time, one culture or even just one architectural movement.On the other hand, the comparative perspective lends authority to Kostof's overarching theoretical approach of connecting urban forms to content and how those relationships persist across the spectrum of the human experience. A must for any architect's or planner's library.

I really like this book, there are a lot of made up cities and towns in some of the games that I play and I find it fasciniating how historical cities and fantasy cities are designed. The author lays out some different design styles for cities and then shows some examples of historical cities that match these styles. A good reference for anyone designing fantasy maps, or just students of architecture or history.

Extremely interesting and well documented book on the different methods humans have used in their quest to create the ideal city. Although not arranges chrinologically but tipologically, the book covers history's clearest examoles of the variety of urban design theory. A must for the urban / architecture proffessional and aficionado.

The book is very illustrative, the author is clear and uses many examples. He foccuses on the physical shape of cities and how they have been altered throughout hostory. This is not a history book, this book is very architectural, if that is not your goal, you might reconsider it.

You'll never walk city streets the same as urban landscape communicates how belief systems manifest over hundreds of years.

Book was in excellent condition - better than described

This book is very interesting. This book is very interesting.This book is very interesting. This book is very interestingThis book is very interesting

Great resource for understanding how cities grow in the way that they do.

Book is no doubt a must read for urban designers & planners but due to bad packaging by CMYK store it was disheartening to recieve a book like this.#CMYK book store

Working into doing my MA this looked promising. The language is at a sufficiently high level to send you to dictionary occasionally should you want to do more than just look at the pictures......This may not be the most insightful or easy to read tome but the volume is academically solid and a great resource for reference for the historical development of urban fabrics around the world. I am going to buy Assembled as well on the expectation that it will be as informative. Buy only if you are really into your Urban Architecture, not one for the faint hearted.

Excellent book. Very categorically describes the evolution of cities and various urban forms that they have been designed in, through these centuries. Includes many illustrations both monochrome and in color. Paper quality is good. 110gsm easily.

Book was as expected

Let's face it, few people will read this book. This book is all about the pictures and photos which are both facinating and inspiring. If you're into architecture or town planning this a book that ought to be on your bookshelf - or more importantly, flicked through every so often.