Book

Smith, Peter D. (Peter Daniel), 1965-

City : a guidebook for the urban age / P.D. Smith.

1st ed.

New York : Bloomsbury, ©2012.

xiii, 383 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 24 cm

Acclaimed author and independent scholar P.D. Smith explores what it was like to live in the first cities, how they have evolved, and why in the future, cities will play an even greater role in human life.

"For the first time in the history of our planet, more than half the world's population-3.3 billion people-are now living in cities. City is the ultimate guidebook to our urban centers-the signature unit of human civilization. With erudite prose and carefully chosen illustrations, this unique work of metatourism explores what cities are and how they work. It covers history, customs and language, districts, transport, money, work, shops and markets, and tourist sites, creating a fantastically detailed portrait of the city through history and into the future. The urban explorer will revel in essays on downtowns, suburbs, shantytowns and favelas, graffiti, skylines, crime, the theater, street food, sport, eco-cities, and sacred sites, as well as mini-essays on the Tower of Babel, flash mobs, ghettos, skateboarding, and SimCity, among many others."--Publishers description.

Cities and towns -- History.

City and town life -- History.

Sociology, Urban -- History.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 368-373) and index.

Arrival -- The city in the lake -- The golden door -- Skyline -- The central station -- History -- Origins -- The ideal city -- New town --Necropolis -- The city wall -- Customs -- Writing -- Street language -- 'Kilroy was here' -- The voice of the street -- Carnival! -- The house of God -- Where to stay -- Downtown -- Chinatown, Little Italy and the ghetto -- Slum City -- From garden suburbs to boomburbs -- The hotel -- Getting around -- Walking -- Traffic -- Going underground -- The skyscraper -- Money -- Markets -- The jewel box of the world -- Got to pick a pocket or two -- The department store -- Time out -- The city and the stage -- City of the mind -- Street food -- Gladiators and marathon runners -- The park -- Beyond the city -- The wired city -- Eco-cities -- Futuropolis -- The ruins.

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