The Language of Towns & Cities: A Visual Dictionary

The final word on the language of urban planning and design. The Language of Towns & Cities is a landmark publication that clarifies the language by which we talk about urban planning and design. Everyday words such as "avenue," "boulevard," "park," and "district," as well as less commonly used words and terms such as "sustainability," "carbon-neutral," or "Bilbao Effect" are used with a great variety of meanings, causing confusion among citizens, city officials, and other decision-makers when trying to design viable neighborhoods, towns, and cities. This magnificent volume is the fruit of more than a decade of research and writing in an effort to ameliorate this situation. Abundantly illustrated with over 2,500 photographs, drawings, and charts, The Language of Towns & Cities is both a richly detailed glossary of more than seven hundred words and terms commonly used in architecture and urban planning, and a compendium of great visual interest. From "A" and "B" streets to Zero Lot and Zeitgeist, the book is at once comprehensive and accessible. An essential work for architects, urban planners, students of design, and all those interested in the future of towns and cities, this is destined to become a classic in its field.

Dhiru A. Thadani is a practicing architect and teacher who has worked in North and South America, Europe, and Asia, in urban design, town planning, architectural design, landscape design, and construction management.

Léon Krier is a renowned architect who has taught architecture and town planning at the Royal College of Art, London; Princeton University; Yale University; and the University of Virginia.

Andrés Duany is one of America’s most influential architects and town planners.