National Book Award Non Fiction Winner
The City in History
by Lewis Mumford
Summary
A wide ranging study of the city as a human institution, tracing urban form from Mesopotamian ceremonial centers and the Greek polis through medieval towns to the industrial metropolis and the postwar suburb. Mumford treats architecture, religion, technology, and economics as inseparable, arguing that healthy cities cultivate community while modern sprawl breeds alienation. The book became an influential touchstone for planners, preservationists, and critics of development built around the automobile.
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Historical Context & Significance
Mumford's work was a foundational text for the New Urbanism movement, warning against the way modern American cities were designed around the car.