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Book club 📖 Introductory literature on urban planning

J

JohnDoe

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Can anyone point me towards some great/best out there books introducing students to Urban Planning and preferably discussing its various subfields? Thanks a lot in advance.
 
An "Intro" Textbook

Levy, John M. (2008). Contemporary Urban Planning (8th edition). Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.

This is a nice 'inch deep - mile wide' text often used in 101 (or equivalent) planning classes.
 
Planning in the USA by Cullingworth and Caves is a decent one. I had the second edition. I'm not sure if they've come out with a new one or not.
 
Close-Up: How to Read the American City by Grady Clay is fantastic. the book it self is a bit dated by now, but the information is very accessible and well presented.

Suburban Nation is also a good book - but don't take everything in it as gospel. the new urbanists are a wacky bunch and have some equally wacky ideas.

Delirious New York: A Retroactive Manifesto for Manhattan by Rem Koolhaas is also a good book. if you arent familiar - Koolhaas is an architect, not a planner but the book is good.
 
bobcatplanner said:
Planning in the USA by Cullingworth and Caves is a decent one. I had the second edition. I'm not sure if they've come out with a new one or not.
Click to expand...

Cullingworth wrote one of the textbooks in my "planning 101" class- his international perspective was helpful in that he came at the U.S. system as an outsider, just like a new student. Also, his writing style was a lot more engaging than most textbook writers.
 
Housing Policy/Planning

Instead of creating a new thread, i'll continue with this one.

I am interested in finding literature on housing policy and planning within the U.S.
Specifically maybe a book which outlines significant policies/regulations that have been created over time, guidelines of policy implementations, or general books of housing case studies. Technical/Non technical its all good.

Thanks!
 
On the general topic of intro to planning books: I think, if someone really wants to know what planners actually do, they should read these two books (dry though they may be):

The Practice of Local Government Planning, or the "Green Book"

Urban Land Use Planning (looks like I need a new edition).

For housing policy, I think these are good:

Building the Dream: A Social History of Housing in America

Redesigning the American Dream

Affordable Housing and Urban Redevelopment in the United States

And, for the masochistic among you:

Housing Development and Municipal Costs, an oldie-but-goodie.
 
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