Recommended Readings

The following books are recommended essential reading for anyone interested in the New Urbanism. They range from the basic to the technical, so a planner of any experience level may find exactly what they are looking for. Many titles are available from APA's PlanningBooks.com, while others are available from amazon.com or other book sellers, or from the original publisher.

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Indispensable

Alexander, Christopher et.al., A Timeless Way of Building, New York: Oxford, 1979
The absolute first book. A must-read.

Alexander, Christopher et.al., A Pattern Language, New York: Oxford, 1977
The town planning equivalent of the Bible (Old Testament).

Alexander, Christopher et.al., A New Theory of Urban Design, New York: Oxford, 1987.
The equivalent of the Bible (New Testament).

Bentley, I. Alcock, A. Murrain, P. McGlynn, S. Smith. Responsive Environments: A Manual for Designers. Butterworth Helnemann Ltd, Oxford, England, 1985.
The best current manual on urban design technique.

Calthorpe, Peter. The Next American Metropolis: Ecology, Community, and the American Dream. Princeton Architectural Press, 1993.

Calthorpe, Peter. The Regional City : Planning for the End of Sprawl, New York: Island Press, 2001
The best current manual on regional planning technique.

Congress for the New Urbanism. Charter of the New Urbanism: Region / Neighborhood, District, and Corridor / Block, Street, and Building. New York: McGraw-Hill Books, 1999.

Duany, Andres, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, and Jeff Speck. Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream: North Point Press, 1999.
Best overall summary of why we are here and where we should go.

Hegemann, Werner, and Peets, Elbert. American Vitruvius: An Architect's Handbook of Civic Art. Princeton Architectural Press, 1988.
The great encyclopedia.

Jacobs, Jane. The Death and Life of Great American Cities. Vintage Books, 1992.
The original critique and still the best.

Katz, Peter. The New Urbanism: Toward an Architecture of Community. McGraw-Hill, 1994.
The current cannon of recent town planning projects.

Kelbaugh, Douglas. Common Place: Toward Neighborhood and Regional Design. University of Washington Press, 1997.
Great presentation with both theory and practical applications.

Krier, Leon. Architecture: Choice or Fate. Great Britain: Andraes Papadakis Publisher. 1998.
A great graphic presentation of principles by the master.

Stern, Robert A.M., and John M. Massengale, The Anglo-American Suburb.
A thorough collection of planning by developers at the turn of the century

Traffic Engineering for Neo-Traditional Neighborhood Design. ITE Technical Council Committee.
An official manual that discusses and promotes TND technique.

Unwin, Raymond. Town Planning in Practice: An Introduction to the Art of Designing Cities and Suburbs. Princeton Architectural Press, 1994.
Still the best general manual, published in 1909 and recently reprinted.

Ward, Stephen V., ed., The Garden City. E&F N Spon, 1992.

Whyte, William. City: Rediscovering the Center. Anchor Books, 1990.
Explains with precision how urban spaces really work.