Arguably the most influential document in the history of urban planning, Daniel Burnham’s 1909 Plan of Chicago, coauthored by Edward Bennett and produced in collaboration with the Commercial Club of Chicago, proposed many of the city’s most distinctive features, including its lakefront parks and roadways, the Magnificent Mile, and Navy Pier. Carl Smith’s fascinating history reveals the Plan’s central role in shaping the ways people envision the cityscape and urban life itself. Smith’s concise and accessible narrative begins with a survey of Chicago’s stunning rise from a tiny frontier settlement to the nation’s second-largest city. He then offers an illuminating exploration of the Plan’s creation and reveals how it embodies the renowned architect’s belief that cities can and must be remade for the better. The Plan defined the City Beautiful movement and was the first comprehensive attempt to reimagine a major American city. Smith points out the ways the Plan continues to influence debates, even a century after its publication, about how to create a vibrant and habitable urban environment. Richly illustrated and incisively written, his insightful book will be indispensable to our understanding of Chicago, Daniel Burnham, and the emergence of the modern city.

The purpose of long-range urban planning is to set aside the most appropriate locations for future land uses. Unfortunately, power brokers use this planning process to position their own land holdings to become the most profitable locations. And planning professionals often come up with unimaginative, cookie-cutter solutions. But it doesn't have to be this way. With a little knowledge and the willingness to get involved, ordinary citizens can take back control. Thanks to author Connor Murphy's book City Planning: How Citizens Can Take Control, anyone can learn how to become active in the city planning process. After all, a plan is nothing more than plotting out the steps needed to reach a goal. City Planning will educate you on important elements you need to know about the following kinds of city plans: • General • Limited • Specific • Redevelopment • Preservation City Planning: How Citizens Can Take Control will not only give you the knowledge you need, but it will also teach you how to apply your newfound planning knowledge to make a real difference in your community.

The classic work on the evaluation of city form. What does the city's form actually mean to the people who live there? What can the city planner do to make the city's image more vivid and memorable to the city dweller? To answer these questions, Mr. Lynch, supported by studies of Los Angeles, Boston, and Jersey City, formulates a new criterion—imageability—and shows its potential value as a guide for the building and rebuilding of cities. The wide scope of this study leads to an original and vital method for the evaluation of city form. The architect, the planner, and certainly the city dweller will all want to read this book.