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oao's review
improving or gentrifying the area depending on one's perspective.
• Breakaway post
• Wall anchor plates
• Sky dancer -Caribbean & art at 1996 Olympic
• Hollywood yellow signs
• the Pantheon is still the largest unsupported concrete dome in the world.
• Tuned mass damper- a counterweight against the winds. Ex. a weight on rollers; a block of concrete suspended in a pool of liquid (usually hidden behind closed doors on locked upper floors).
In Taipei 101, it is a gigantic pendulum that slows the sway of the structure and the star attraction of the building.
• Sets of skyscrapers can effectively increase wind speeds. (street canyons)
kleonard's review against another edition
3.0
A nicely illustrated overview of basic architectural and civil engineering objects and design in use in modern cities, this book offers short histories and vignettes about relay stations, urban reuse, warning symbols, manhole covers, and other things we encounter in daily city life. The histories are interesting enough, but rarely include the systemic issues that have contributed to the reasons for why many things as they are; a notable omission is the fact that overpasses across the Southern State Parkway were designed to keep buses (implicitly only used by BIPOC) from accessing the beaches the Parkway went to. A section on water fountains focuses on those in the UK, sidestepping discussion of the segregated fountains of Jim Crow America. Coverage of claiming stakes in the 1800s in the US briefly mentions that the "government began to force indigenous peoples into an area called Indian Territory [....] later, tribes were again forced to relocate." This wasn't relocation: it was genocide. There *is* a section of curb cuts, a major accessibility issue, but it treats disability activists as inspiration porn. Overall, this is a pleasant and interesting but a bit superficial book; those who enjoy it will want to search out more detailed and nuanced materials for further reading.
nickburkaotm's review against another edition
4.0
Fun read, very interesting.. lots of neat stories about the things that are often overlooked in the modern day, man-ipulated world.
aatiii's review against another edition
3.0
A list of interesting factoids, trivia and ephemera that doesn’t quite add up to a book. In the end, the authors don’t seem to have a point of view. “So what?” Is never answered.
In hindsight, the trick is to read a single story every week. Then you’ll enjoy the trivia without expecting anything more.
In hindsight, the trick is to read a single story every week. Then you’ll enjoy the trivia without expecting anything more.
bellamonster's review against another edition
4.0
The perfect book to fit my city planning obsession. It has so many fascinating tidbits about all sorts of designs and phenomenons in our world. Definitely should be read snippets at a time instead of all at once.
duparker's review against another edition
4.0
Very cool book. I wasn't surprised to discover it was based upon a podcast. It has that easily accessible text and the illustration was fun and informative. Some of the categories are pretty basic. Some are interesting some are less so, but all are fun and worth reading.