Triumph of the City

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Edward Glaeser

Penguin, New York, 2011, English

Nonfiction, Urban Design

9.3 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches, hardcover, 352 pages

ISBN: 9781594202773

Suggested Retail Price: $29.95

From the Publisher. As Edward Glaeser proves in this myth-shattering book, cities are actually the healthiest, greenest, and richest (in cultural and economic terms) places to live. New Yorkers, for instance, live longer than other Americans; heart disease and cancer rates are lower in Gotham than in the nation as a whole. More than half of America's income is earned in twenty-two metropolitan areas. And city dwellers use, on average, 40 percent less energy than suburbanites.

Using intrepid reportage, keen analysis, and eloquent argument, Glaeser makes an impassioned case for the city's import and splendor. He reminds us forcefully why we should nurture our cities or suffer consequences that will hurt us all, no matter where we live.

On 2 book lists

Justin Davidson

On Justin Davidson’s Notable Books of 2011 list

Addresses the centrality of the city as a key evolving world trend. Describes cities as areas of concentration of creativity, energy, communication, that is exponential. The kind of book that makes you want to talk back to it—to sit down with the author and have a discussion—which to me makes it the best kind of book. A real antidote to the heavy sights that people tend to have in response to the rapid growth rate of megacities.

Cino Zucchi

On Cino Zucchi’s Current Reading list

—October 2013.

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