Triumph of the City
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Product Description
Review
`Edward Glaeser, who loves cities, tells us some amazing things...Lots of very clear ideas here, and histories of the rise and decline of cities.' Inspiring.' --Evening Standard
`An erudite yet entertaining hymn to urban space and the opportunities that exist for us all.'
--Huddersfield Daily Examiner
`An erudite yet entertaining hymn to urban space and the opportunities that exist for us all.'
--Huddersfield Daily Examiner
Product Description
A compellingly readable, critically acclaimed, agenda-setting account of how and why cities function as they do and why so many of us choose to live in them
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
Any book that has Steve Levitt endorsing it has to be worth looking at, if you liked Feakanomics and found that stirred your thinking - then this will do the same. I got this about a week ago, and I'm on my second read through. It's that good. Edward Glaeser writes in a style that is immediately understandable, but also technical enough for the reader to get their teeth into.
As a city boy who moved to a quieter part of the world a few years ago, I always wondered what exactly it was that missed about the big city - as in almost every way our lives now are better than they were. Reading this book I have began to articulate the factors that I miss and wonder about how to replace them.
Almost anyone who wants an insight into how modern city culture works, either on a social, economic or planning level will find this book a deeply challeging read. You may not agree with the conclusions - but you will find things to reflect on. For people thinking of moving from the 'city' to 'quieter suburbs' read this and think carefully. Maybe the noise and the clutter is what you seek rather than the twilight of the commuter belt.
As a city boy who moved to a quieter part of the world a few years ago, I always wondered what exactly it was that missed about the big city - as in almost every way our lives now are better than they were. Reading this book I have began to articulate the factors that I miss and wonder about how to replace them.
Almost anyone who wants an insight into how modern city culture works, either on a social, economic or planning level will find this book a deeply challeging read. You may not agree with the conclusions - but you will find things to reflect on. For people thinking of moving from the 'city' to 'quieter suburbs' read this and think carefully. Maybe the noise and the clutter is what you seek rather than the twilight of the commuter belt.
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Very disappointing if this is a book by a 'leading' economist. Evidence assembled to fit the preconceived prescriptions, with little acknowledgement that there is counter-evidence. Lots of neo-liberal economics and what passes for theory among free-marketeers. Little acknowledgement that anyone else does any work on urban issues. Arguments from history, but no engagement with serious historical or economic-history analysis. Braudel not even in the bibliography. Cheap shots at mayors who have tried to help the poor. No geography apart from the theory of relative advantage. No mention of successful German or Scandinavian cities - they might as well not exist.
The final chapter is slightly better (EG suddenly realises that urban planning might make a difference - that's what makes Vancouver a nice place, apparently) but it's mainly about investing in education and not trying to buck the market.
The final chapter is slightly better (EG suddenly realises that urban planning might make a difference - that's what makes Vancouver a nice place, apparently) but it's mainly about investing in education and not trying to buck the market.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
I am not an economist nor a city planner. I am a former city dweller having lived in small cities and some of the larger better known such as Milan, Rome, Amsterdam and London. In addition, I have travelled to many of the cities mentioned in this book on business; Shanghai, Beijing, Mumbai, Bangalore, Sidney, Stockholm and Munich but to name a few and so I wanted to read something which I thought would give me some historical perspective of what makes these cities function and how the people within them act like a cog within the larger workings of a vast political, economic and human machine. I was not disappointed in its content. The author certainly knows his onions from his shallots but I was disappointed to find that he is a firm advocat of large cities and all that they can produce, seeming to believe that the economic viability and the richness and diversity of experiences of large, complex and overgrown cities is enough to make this world go around and even the best way forward is to build upwards and bigger and better.
There of course is a much deeper argument to the author's viewpoint and the sheer volume of facts and details were in themselves, very interesting.
This is a highly technical perspective on cities and perhaps not the more humanistic level I had been interested in. However, it is well written, well researched and certainly a must for environmental planners or even a good read for business analysts.
There of course is a much deeper argument to the author's viewpoint and the sheer volume of facts and details were in themselves, very interesting.
This is a highly technical perspective on cities and perhaps not the more humanistic level I had been interested in. However, it is well written, well researched and certainly a must for environmental planners or even a good read for business analysts.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
interesting homage to cities
In this interesting book, Glaeser makes a strong economic, social and environmental case for cities. Read more
Published 21 days ago by markr
A fascinating look on what cities are made of
Cities. Most of us live in them. Some days we wish we didn't, and then we can't imagine not to. In Triumph Of The City Edward Glaeser introduces the reader to what cities are made... Read more
Published 2 months ago by BLehner
Cities are the future!
While it sounds like a potentially dull read, Triumph of the City is wonderfully written and will challenge your views on urban living. Read more
Published 2 months ago by kingg
persuasive if not exhaustive
This is a persuasive book. Today many "green" thinking people consider cities a scourge, imposed on us by economic development but to be avoided if at all possible. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Carno Polo
Interesting, thought provoking and entertaining
A superbly written, knowledgeable and entertaining look at why Cities work, why some some dont and why high rise urban living could be the answer to a lot of our current problems. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Fraser I. Cook
Fun, readable and full of anecdotes
Richard Sennett writes these sort of books and I find them unreadable. Edward Glaeser's prose style, by contrast, is accessible and stylish. Read more
Published 8 months ago by William Cohen
Learn why cities are the best places to live, work, think, play and...
Harvard economics professor Edward Glaeser revels in cities. He loves the historical, cultural and economic forces that intersect to create cities, he loves what makes them fail or... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Rolf Dobelli
Interesting but labours its main point
I've always been a fan of urban life partly as I grew up in rural Cumbria and found it deadly dull.
This book confirms my prejudices and then some, adding academic... Read more
This book confirms my prejudices and then some, adding academic... Read more
Published 11 months ago by A. I. Mackenzie
Great read even for someone who has never done economics
This book is, quite interestingly, comprehensible.
Sounds like an odd thing to say, but bearing in mind the guy who wrote this book knows as much about economics as anyone on... Read more
Sounds like an odd thing to say, but bearing in mind the guy who wrote this book knows as much about economics as anyone on... Read more
Published 13 months ago by r2uzenblot
An Enthralling Study
Perhaps like a lot people, the eco-friendly environmentalist in me had probably made the assumption that 21st century city living would be the death of us all and that a rural... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Sockymon
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