The trained architect's portrait of Manhattan is published here in a fold-out format, revealing panoramic views of the East Side and West Side of the famous skyline.

An evocative portrait of New York City in the 1940s and 1950s by master documentary photographer Todd Webb. I See a City: Todd Webb’s New York focuses on the work photographer Todd Webb produced in New York City in the 1940s and 1950s. Webb photographed the city day and night, in all seasons, and in all weather. Buildings, signage, vehicles, the passing throngs, isolated figures, curious eccentrics—from the Brooklyn Bridge to Harlem, this book is a rich portrait of the everyday life and architecture of New York. Webb’s work is focused and layered with light and shadow, capturing the soul of this city shaped by the friction and frisson of humanity. A native of Detroit, Webb studied photography in the 1930s under the guidance of Ansel Adams at the Detroit Camera Club, served as a navy photographer during World War II, and went on to become a successful postwar photographer. His work is in many museum collections, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the National Gallery of Art in Washington. This book, now available in a compact edition, helps contemporary audiences get to know a forgotten American artist and an ever-changing city.

Cover -- About Island Press -- Subscribe -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Contents -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction: Why Urban Observation Matters: Seeing the Better City -- 01. How to See City Basics and Universal Patterns -- 02. Observational Approaches -- 03. Seeing the City through Urban Diaries -- 04. Documenting Our Personal Cities -- 05. From Urban Diaries to Policies, Plans, and Politics -- Conclusion: What the Better City Can Be -- Notes -- Index -- IP Board of Directors

Seeing like a city means recognizing that cities are living things made up of a tangle of networks, built up from the agency of countless actors. Cities must not be considered as expressions of larger paradigms or sites of human effort and organization alone. Within their density, size and sprawl can be found a world of symbols, bodies, buildings, technologies and infrastructures. It is the machine-like combination, interaction and confrontation of these different elements that make a city. Such a view locates urban outcomes and influences in the character of these networks, which together power urban life, allocating resources, shaping social opportunities, maintaining order and simply enabling life. More than the silent stage on which other powers perform, such networks represent the essence of the city. They also form an important political project, a politics of small interventions with large effects. The increasing evidence for an Anthropocene bears out the way in which humanity has stamped its footprint on the planet by constructing urban forms that act as systems for directing life in ways that create both immense power and immense constraint.

Experience the city that never sleeps like a local: on foot! Whether you're strolling along tree-lined streets in the Village or hustling down Fifth Avenue, discover the best of the Big Apple with Moon New York City Walks. Walk through the city's coolest neighborhoods, including Soho, the West Village, the Lower East Side, Williamsburg, and more, with color-coded stops and turn-by-turn directions Find your scene with top ten lists for restaurants, arts and culture, and coffee Get to know the real New York on six customizable walks: Stroll past icons like the Flatiron Building, the Empire State Building, and Rockefeller Center, or learn more about the history of jazz and the Harlem Renaissance. Take in jaw-dropping views along the High Line, shop the trendiest brands in the Meatpacking District, and explore world-famous galleries and museums. Cross the Williamsburg Bridge, hit a flea market, and discover coffee shops tucked among the Brooklyn warehouses. Sample authentic Chinese noodles and dim sum, comforting soul food, and old-school deli standbys, or admire the city skyline from one of New York's many rooftop bars Explore on the go with foldout maps of each walking route and a removable full-city map, all in a handy guide that fits in your pocket Discover public transportation options like bike rentals, subway, taxis, buses, and ferries With creative routes, public transit options, and a full-city map, you can explore New York at your own pace, without missing a beat. Check out our guides to more of the world's best cities, so you can hit the ground running! Also available: Moon Barcelona Walks, Moon Berlin Walks, Moon Tokyo Walks, Moon Amsterdam Walks, Moon Paris Walks, Moon Rome Walks, and Moon London Walks.

Arguing that the cities are God's idea, and using clear biblical principles, McClung urges believers not to abandon the cities but to learn to transform them by the power of God.