But not my list, Curbed’s: 101 books about where and how we live. I’ve read most of them, but not all; buildings and cities are incredibly complex subjects that can be written about pretty much endlessly. There are some books here that I agree with, such as City of Quartz by Mike Davis, and there are some I violently disagree with, such as The Living City by Frank Lloyd Wright. I agree with the three writers from Curbed that all of them are necessary reads for anyone interested in the topics. Some of the least technical, like the novel High Rise by J.G.Ballard, make their point through emotional impact rather than logical argument.
I’d add one book to the list: Report from Engine Company 82 by Dennis Smith. Smith was a fire-fighter in the South Bronx as arsonists were destroying thousands of buildings and his descriptions of the city and people’s relationship to their homes stay with you.
