Books

There are countless books about architecture and urbanism I could recommend. Find titles on various topics via the links below or via the menu:

Traditional & classical urbanism

This category contains the must-reads on traditional and classical urbanism.

Modernism critiques

What has gone wrong in the 20th century? These critiques on modernism are crucial reads for those who want to understand more how many unattractive places have come to be.

Classical architecture

Prime sources on the classical orders and how to draw them

Cognitive architecture & neuroaesthetics

What makes people like certain places and dislike others? Find out with titles on the cognitive side of architecture

Cycling & walkability

Making our cities more enjoyable is highly dependent on how we move around in those cities – do we use the car, or use our feet and (e)bikes?

Placemaking

How to create attractive places? Placemaking is the art to turn any forgettable non-place into a place, it is a powerful technique to transform areas for the better.

Urbanism (general)

General titles on urbanism, including classics

Small scale

What is wrong with our times? Perhaps it is the increasing scale of everything: industry, government, nations, supranational organisations, agriculture, cities… By scaling down instead of scaling up, we can create more stability and reap countless of other benefits.

Urban Design Methods & Pattern Language

How to design? Where to start? These titles deal with the topic of design methods and pattern language – essential reading for any urban designer.

Philosophy & Aesthetics

What is beauty? How should we see our times, how should we think about our cities and architecture?

Dutch books

For the Dutchies, some must-have titles

Recommended reading book list by Wrath of Gnon

Discover all recommended books:

The Art of Building Cities (der Städtebau nach seinen künstlerischen Grundsätzen), Camillo Sitte

June 13, 2022

Confessions of a Recovering Engineer, Charles L. Marohn, Jr.

June 13, 2022

Strong Towns, Charles L. Marohn, Jr.

June 13, 2022

The Timeless Way of Building, Christopher Alexander

June 13, 2022

A Pattern Language, Christopher Alexander

June 13, 2022

The Death and Life of Great American Cities, Jane Jacobs

June 13, 2022

The Aesthetics of Architecture, Roger Scruton

June 13, 2022

Het Idee van de Hollandse Stad, Egbert Jan Hoogenberk

June 13, 2022

Building the Cycling City, Chris & Melissa Bruntlett

June 13, 2022

A Theory of Architecture, Nikos Salingaros

June 13, 2022

Architectural Theory, Taschen

June 13, 2022

The Theory of Mouldings, C. Howard Walker

June 13, 2022

The Architecture of Community, Léon Krier

June 13, 2022

The Art of Classic Planning, Nir Haim Buras

June 13, 2022

The Classical Orders Of Architecture

June 13, 2022

Landscape Architecture, by Morell & Nichols

June 2, 2022

An Introduction to the Study of Landscape Design, by Henry Vincent Hubbard and Theodora Kimball

June 2, 2022

Textbook of Landscape Gardening, by Frank A. Waugh

June 2, 2022

First Book of Architecture by Andrea Palladio

June 2, 2022

Rules for Drawing the several parts of Architecture, by James Gibbs

June 2, 2022

A Book of Architecture, by James Gibbs

June 2, 2022

Vitruvius Britannicus, by Colen Campbell

June 2, 2022

The British Architect, by Abraham Swan

June 2, 2022

Making Dystopia, by James Stevens Curl

June 2, 2022

The Layman’s Guide to Classical Architecture by Quinlan Terry

June 2, 2022

Urban Experience and Design: Contemporary Perspectives on Improving the Public Realm, by Justin B Hollander & Ann Sussman

June 2, 2022

Cognitive Architecture, by Ann Sussman & Justin B Hollander

June 2, 2022

The Four Books of Architecture – Andrea Palladio

June 2, 2022