DreamCitiesSevenUrbanIdeasThatShapetheW

Fromtheacclaimedlandscapedesigner，historianandauthorofAmericanEden，alively，unique，andaccessibleculturalhistoryofmoderncities—fromsuburbs，downtowndistricts，andexurbansprawl，toshoppingmallsand“sustainable”developments—thatallowsustoviewthemthroughtheplanning，design，architects，andmovementsthatinspired，created，andshapedthem.DreamCitiesexploresourcitiesinanewway—asexpressionsofideas，oftenconflicting，abouthowweshouldlive，work，play，make，buy，andbelieve.Ittellsthestoriesoftherealarchitectsandthinkerswhoseimaginedcitiesbecametheblueprintsfortheworldwelivein.Fromthenineteenthcenturytotoday，whatbeganasvisionaryconcepts—sometimesutopian，sometimesoutlandish，alwayscontroversial—weregraduallyadoptedandconstructedonamassivescaleincitiesaroundtheworld，fromDubaitoUlanBatortoLondontoLosAngeles.WadeGrahamusesthelivesofthepivotaldreamersbehindtheseconcepts，aswellastheiracolytesandantagonists，todeconstructoururbanlandscapes—thehouses，towers，civiccenters，condominiums，shoppingmalls，boulevards，highways，andspacesinbetween—exposingtheidealsandideasembodiedineach.FromthebaroquefantasyvillagesofBertramGoodhuetothesuperblocksofLeCorbusier’sRadiantCitytothepseudo-agrariandispersalofFrankLloydWright’sBroadacreCity，ourupscaleleafysuburbs，downtownskyscraperdistricts，infotainment-drivenshoppingmalls，and“sustainable”eco-developmentsareseenasneverbefore.Inthiselegantlydesignedandillustratedbook，Grahamuncoverstheoriginalplansofbrilliant，obsessed，andsometimesmegalomaniacaldesigners，revealingthefoundationsoftoday’svariedmunicipalities.DreamCitiesisnothinglessthanafieldguidetoourmodernurbanworld.Illustratedwith59black-and-whitephotosthroughoutthetext.