50 Books like Life After Cars

Curbing Traffic

by Melissa Bruntlett • 2021

Dutch cities prove removing cars heals loneliness, restores childhood, and makes everyone richer.

4.38

633

🏛️ Urban Policy 🏗️ Urban Design 🚗 Car Dependency 🚶 Walkable Cities 🌳 Public Space

Curbing Traffic 95%

Dutch cities prove removing cars heals loneliness, restores childhood, and makes everyone richer.

by Melissa Bruntlett 2021

4.38

633 ratings

🏛️ Urban Policy 🏗️ Urban Design 🚗 Car Dependency 🚶 Walkable Cities 🌳 Public Space

Road to Nowhere

by Paris Marx • 2022

The tech-driven transportation future is a dead end. The real fix: fewer cars, better transit.

4.16

643

🚗 Car Culture 🏙️ Urban Planning 💻 Techno-Solutionism 🚌 Public Transit 🛵 Gig Economy

Road to Nowhere 95%

The tech-driven transportation future is a dead end. The real fix: fewer cars, better transit.

by Paris Marx 2022

4.16

643 ratings

🚗 Car Culture 🏙️ Urban Planning 💻 Techno-Solutionism 🚌 Public Transit 🛵 Gig Economy

Streetfight

by Janette Sadik-Khan • 2016

Paint, data, and political nerve: beating the car-first status quo.

4.26

2k+

🛣️ Street Design 🎨 Tactical Urbanism 🌳 Public Space 🚲 Bike Advocacy 🚌 Transit Equity

Streetfight 94%

Paint, data, and political nerve: beating the car-first status quo.

by Janette Sadik-Khan 2016

4.26

2k+ ratings

🛣️ Street Design 🎨 Tactical Urbanism 🌳 Public Space 🚲 Bike Advocacy 🚌 Transit Equity

Tactical Urbanism

by Mike Lydon • 2014

How to hack your city with paint, planters, and pop-up parks, and prove change is possible now.

3.99

315

🛠️ Diy Urbanism 🎨 Creative Placemaking 🏗️ Pop-Up Urbanism 🚲 Street Reclamation 🗳️ Participatory Planning

Tactical Urbanism 94%

How to hack your city with paint, planters, and pop-up parks, and prove change is possible now.

by Mike Lydon 2014

3.99

315 ratings

🛠️ Diy Urbanism 🎨 Creative Placemaking 🏗️ Pop-Up Urbanism 🚲 Street Reclamation 🗳️ Participatory Planning

Happy City

by Charles Montgomery • 2012

Sprawl isolates and exhausts. The evidence for repairing cities around human connection and joy.

4.36

10k+

🏙️ New Urbanism 🚶 Walkable Cities 🧠 Urban Psychology 🚗 Car Dependency 🌳 Public Space

Happy City 94%

Sprawl isolates and exhausts. The evidence for repairing cities around human connection and joy.

by Charles Montgomery 2012

4.36

10k+ ratings

🏙️ New Urbanism 🚶 Walkable Cities 🧠 Urban Psychology 🚗 Car Dependency 🌳 Public Space

The Option of Urbanism

by Christopher B. Leinberger • 2007

America's car suburbs were built by policy, not consumer choice. The market now wants the opposite.

3.89

185

🏙️ Urban Planning 🏘️ Sprawl 🏗️ New Urbanism 🚶 Walkable Cities 🏚️ Gentrification

The Option of Urbanism 93%

America's car suburbs were built by policy, not consumer choice. The market now wants the opposite.

by Christopher B. Leinberger 2007

3.89

185 ratings

🏙️ Urban Planning 🏘️ Sprawl 🏗️ New Urbanism 🚶 Walkable Cities 🏚️ Gentrification

The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces

by William H. Whyte • 1980

A decade of time-lapse footage on New York plazas upended every assumption about what draws a crowd.

4.33

927

🏙️ Public Space 🚶 Street Life 🏘️ Human-Scale Urbanism ✨ Placemaking 🌍 Urban Anthropology

The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces Summary

The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces 93%

A decade of time-lapse footage on New York plazas upended every assumption about what draws a crowd.

by William H. Whyte 1980

4.33

927 ratings

🏙️ Public Space 🚶 Street Life 🏘️ Human-Scale Urbanism ✨ Placemaking 🌍 Urban Anthropology

Palaces for the People

by Eric Klinenberg • 2018

Stronger than seawalls: the shared spaces that hold communities together when everything breaks.

3.97

5k+

🏙️ Public Space 🧱 Placemaking 🤝 Social Capital 💪 Community Resilience 📚 Libraries And Community

Palaces for the People 93%

Stronger than seawalls: the shared spaces that hold communities together when everything breaks.

by Eric Klinenberg 2018

3.97

5k+ ratings

🏙️ Public Space 🧱 Placemaking 🤝 Social Capital 💪 Community Resilience 📚 Libraries And Community

The Road Taken

by Henry Petroski • 2016

The $121 billion congestion tax: what the history of pavement says about fixing America's roads.

3.44

529

🏛️ Infrastructure Policy 🔧 Engineering History 🛣️ Road Design 🚦 Traffic Engineering ⚠️ Failure Studies

The Road Taken 93%

The $121 billion congestion tax: what the history of pavement says about fixing America's roads.

by Henry Petroski 2016

3.44

529 ratings

🏛️ Infrastructure Policy 🔧 Engineering History 🛣️ Road Design 🚦 Traffic Engineering ⚠️ Failure Studies

Escaping the Housing Trap

by Charles L. Marohn Jr. • 2024

Housing can't be both affordable shelter and a good investment. That conflict is the trap.

4.37

503

🏙️ Urban Planning 🏠 Housing Policy 📜 Zoning Reform 💰 Affordability Crisis 🌱 Bottom-Up Urbanism

Escaping the Housing Trap 93%

Housing can't be both affordable shelter and a good investment. That conflict is the trap.

by Charles L. Marohn Jr. 2024

4.37

503 ratings

🏙️ Urban Planning 🏠 Housing Policy 📜 Zoning Reform 💰 Affordability Crisis 🌱 Bottom-Up Urbanism

The Great Inversion and the Future of the American City

by Alan Ehrenhalt • 2012

American metros are inverting: affluence returns downtown, immigrants settle the suburbs.

3.77

678

📊 Demographic Shifts 🏘️ Suburban Transformation 🏗️ Gentrification ☀️ Sun Belt Cities 🏙️ Density And Sprawl

The Great Inversion and the Future of the American City Summary

The Great Inversion and the Future of the American City 92%

American metros are inverting: affluence returns downtown, immigrants settle the suburbs.

by Alan Ehrenhalt 2012

3.77

678 ratings

📊 Demographic Shifts 🏘️ Suburban Transformation 🏗️ Gentrification ☀️ Sun Belt Cities 🏙️ Density And Sprawl

How Infrastructure Works

by Deb Chachra • 2023

The hidden networks you rely on were built for a climate that no longer exists.

3.64

937

🏗️ Infrastructure Design 🧩 Systems Thinking 🕸️ Network Effects ⚡ Energy Transition ⚖️ Environmental Justice

How Infrastructure Works 92%

The hidden networks you rely on were built for a climate that no longer exists.

by Deb Chachra 2023

3.64

937 ratings

🏗️ Infrastructure Design 🧩 Systems Thinking 🕸️ Network Effects ⚡ Energy Transition ⚖️ Environmental Justice

Smart Cities

by Anthony M. Townsend • 2013

Corporations are selling smart cities. A movement of civic hackers has a better blueprint.

3.61

817

🏙️ Urban Technology 🔌 Digital Infrastructure 🗳️ Civic Technology 📊 Open Data 🌱 Grassroots Innovation

Smart Cities 92%

Corporations are selling smart cities. A movement of civic hackers has a better blueprint.

by Anthony M. Townsend 2013

3.61

817 ratings

🏙️ Urban Technology 🔌 Digital Infrastructure 🗳️ Civic Technology 📊 Open Data 🌱 Grassroots Innovation

Triumph of the City

by Edward L. Glaeser • 2011

Poverty flocks to cities because cities are the escape route. The economic case for density.

3.91

6k+

🏙️ Urban Economics 🏗️ City Planning 🏘️ Urban Density 🧠 Human Capital 💡 Knowledge Spillovers

Triumph of the City 92%

Poverty flocks to cities because cities are the escape route. The economic case for density.

by Edward L. Glaeser 2011

3.91

6k+ ratings

🏙️ Urban Economics 🏗️ City Planning 🏘️ Urban Density 🧠 Human Capital 💡 Knowledge Spillovers

Nowhere to Live

by James S. Burling • 2024

Why can't Americans afford homes? A century of rules made building them illegal.

4.00

🏠 Housing Policy 🏛️ Property Rights 🏗️ Zoning Reform ⚖️ Eminent Domain 📜 Government Overreach

Nowhere to Live 91%

Why can't Americans afford homes? A century of rules made building them illegal.

by James S. Burling 2024

4.00

12 ratings

🏠 Housing Policy 🏛️ Property Rights 🏗️ Zoning Reform ⚖️ Eminent Domain 📜 Government Overreach

Zoned in the USA

by Sonia A. Hirt • 2014

The detached home with its own yard is globally rare. American zoning manufactured it at scale.

4.01

136

🏛️ Zoning Law 🏙️ Urban Planning 🌍 Comparative Urbanism 🏡 American Sprawl 🏘️ Single-Family Housing

Zoned in the USA 91%

The detached home with its own yard is globally rare. American zoning manufactured it at scale.

by Sonia A. Hirt 2014

4.01

136 ratings

🏛️ Zoning Law 🏙️ Urban Planning 🌍 Comparative Urbanism 🏡 American Sprawl 🏘️ Single-Family Housing

On Power

by Robert A. Caro • 2017

How one man built a financial empire inside the government and became untouchable.

3.95

1k+

🏙️ Urban Planning 🏛️ Political Power 🗳️ Machine Politics 🏚️ Displacement 🏢 Public Authorities

On Power 91%

How one man built a financial empire inside the government and became untouchable.

by Robert A. Caro 2017

3.95

1k+ ratings

🏙️ Urban Planning 🏛️ Political Power 🗳️ Machine Politics 🏚️ Displacement 🏢 Public Authorities

Against the smart city

by Adam Greenfield • 2013

Smart cities sell efficiency but deliver surveillance. The real operating system is people.

3.96

132

🏙️ Smart Cities 📐 Urban Planning 🔬 Technological Critique 🤖 Algorithmic Control 💰 Neoliberal Urbanism

Against the smart city 91%

Smart cities sell efficiency but deliver surveillance. The real operating system is people.

by Adam Greenfield 2013

3.96

132 ratings

🏙️ Smart Cities 📐 Urban Planning 🔬 Technological Critique 🤖 Algorithmic Control 💰 Neoliberal Urbanism

The Smart Enough City

by Ben Green • 2019

Smart cities dress up political problems as engineering ones. The fix is governance, not gadgets.

4.12

208

🏙️ Smart Cities 🏛️ Urban Policy 💻 Technology Criticism ⚙️ Techno-Solutionism ⚖️ Algorithmic Bias

The Smart Enough City 91%

Smart cities dress up political problems as engineering ones. The fix is governance, not gadgets.

by Ben Green 2019

4.12

208 ratings

🏙️ Smart Cities 🏛️ Urban Policy 💻 Technology Criticism ⚙️ Techno-Solutionism ⚖️ Algorithmic Bias

Cities

by Monica L. Smith • 2019

Cities were never about efficiency. They were about all the things you cannot get alone.

3.26

446

🏙️ Urban History 🏛️ Ancient Cities 🏺 Material Culture 🌆 Urban Anthropology 🚶 Everyday Urbanism

Cities 91%

Cities were never about efficiency. They were about all the things you cannot get alone.

by Monica L. Smith 2019

3.26

446 ratings

🏙️ Urban History 🏛️ Ancient Cities 🏺 Material Culture 🌆 Urban Anthropology 🚶 Everyday Urbanism

The Great Reset

by Richard Florida • 2010

Crashes rebuild how we live. Two gave us factories and suburbs. The third is remaking cities.

3.59

656

🏙️ Urban Economics 🗺️ Economic Geography 🏗️ Infrastructure 💡 Creative Economy 🔄 Post-Industrial Society

The Great Reset 91%

Crashes rebuild how we live. Two gave us factories and suburbs. The third is remaking cities.

by Richard Florida 2010

3.59

656 ratings

🏙️ Urban Economics 🗺️ Economic Geography 🏗️ Infrastructure 💡 Creative Economy 🔄 Post-Industrial Society

The Just City

by Susan S. Fainstein • 2010

Stop asking if a city is growing. Start asking who it's growing for.

3.75

174

🏙️ Urban Policy 📐 Planning Theory ⚖️ Distributive Justice 🏛️ Urban Political Economy 💼 Neoliberal Critique

The Just City 91%

Stop asking if a city is growing. Start asking who it's growing for.

by Susan S. Fainstein 2010

3.75

174 ratings

🏙️ Urban Policy 📐 Planning Theory ⚖️ Distributive Justice 🏛️ Urban Political Economy 💼 Neoliberal Critique

How Change Happens

by Leslie R. Crutchfield • 2018

Six factors determine whether a movement wins or dies. None of them start in Washington.

3.74

160

📢 Social Movements ✊ Community Organizing 🗳️ Political Strategy 📖 Narrative Change 🏗️ Movement Building

How Change Happens 91%

Six factors determine whether a movement wins or dies. None of them start in Washington.

by Leslie R. Crutchfield 2018

3.74

160 ratings

📢 Social Movements ✊ Community Organizing 🗳️ Political Strategy 📖 Narrative Change 🏗️ Movement Building

Radical Cities

by Justin McGuirk • 2014

The slums and squatter towers of Latin America are the world's most daring urban experiments.

4.27

434

🏚️ Informal Settlements ✊ Activist Architecture 🌎 Latin American Cities ⚖️ Urban Inequality 🚌 Public Transit

Radical Cities 91%

The slums and squatter towers of Latin America are the world's most daring urban experiments.

by Justin McGuirk 2014

4.27

434 ratings

🏚️ Informal Settlements ✊ Activist Architecture 🌎 Latin American Cities ⚖️ Urban Inequality 🚌 Public Transit

Uses of Disorder

by Richard Sennett • 1970

The young craving for purity is architecting our cities into sterile, segregated cages.

3.88

258

🏙️ Urban Sociology 🧩 Identity Formation 🚧 Social Segregation 🏛️ Bureaucratic Power 💰 Affluent Isolation

Uses of Disorder 91%

The young craving for purity is architecting our cities into sterile, segregated cages.

by Richard Sennett 1970

3.88

258 ratings

🏙️ Urban Sociology 🧩 Identity Formation 🚧 Social Segregation 🏛️ Bureaucratic Power 💰 Affluent Isolation

Justice at Work

by Marc Doussard • 2022

How coalitions fuse racial and economic justice to win policy in cities.

5.00

🏙️ Urban Policy ✊ Labor Movements 🤝 Coalition Building ⚖️ Racial Justice 📢 Community Organizing

Justice at Work 90%

How coalitions fuse racial and economic justice to win policy in cities.

by Marc Doussard 2022

5.00

3 ratings

🏙️ Urban Policy ✊ Labor Movements 🤝 Coalition Building ⚖️ Racial Justice 📢 Community Organizing

Glimpses of Utopia

by Jess Scully • 2020

A fair society is not theoretical. Its pieces are already running in cities across the world.

3.97

110

🗳️ Participatory Democracy 💡 Alternative Economics 🌳 Commons Stewardship 🤲 Care Economy 🏦 Financial Reform

Glimpses of Utopia 90%

A fair society is not theoretical. Its pieces are already running in cities across the world.

by Jess Scully 2020

3.97

110 ratings

🗳️ Participatory Democracy 💡 Alternative Economics 🌳 Commons Stewardship 🤲 Care Economy 🏦 Financial Reform

Four Lost Cities

by Annalee Newitz • 2021

Lost cities didn't vanish; their people walked away when rulers chose monuments over working sewers.

3.78

7k+

🏙️ Urban History 🏛️ Archaeology Of Cities 🌍 Environmental History ⏳ Ancient Cities 🔄 Comparative Urbanism

Four Lost Cities 90%

Lost cities didn't vanish; their people walked away when rulers chose monuments over working sewers.

by Annalee Newitz 2021

3.78

7k+ ratings

🏙️ Urban History 🏛️ Archaeology Of Cities 🌍 Environmental History ⏳ Ancient Cities 🔄 Comparative Urbanism

Capital City

by Samuel Stein • 2019

Gentrification is not a market outcome. It is policy, written by the real estate industry.

3.92

2k+

🏙️ Urban Political Economy 🏗️ Gentrification Studies 🚚 Urban Displacement 📖 Marxist Urban Theory 🏠 Housing Justice

Capital City 90%

Gentrification is not a market outcome. It is policy, written by the real estate industry.

by Samuel Stein 2019

3.92

2k+ ratings

🏙️ Urban Political Economy 🏗️ Gentrification Studies 🚚 Urban Displacement 📖 Marxist Urban Theory 🏠 Housing Justice

How We Got to Now

by Steven Johnson • 2014

Six ordinary breakthroughs built the modern world; their biggest consequences were never planned.

4.12

16k+

🕰️ History Of Technology 💡 Everyday Inventions 🦋 Ripple Effects 🏙️ Hidden Systems 🤝 Collaborative Innovation

How We Got to Now 90%

Six ordinary breakthroughs built the modern world; their biggest consequences were never planned.

by Steven Johnson 2014

4.12

16k+ ratings

🕰️ History Of Technology 💡 Everyday Inventions 🦋 Ripple Effects 🏙️ Hidden Systems 🤝 Collaborative Innovation

Ending Parkinson's Disease

by Ray Dorsey • 2020

Parkinson's is the fastest-growing brain disease, and the chemicals causing it are still legal.

4.31

328

🌍 Environmental Health 🧠 Neurological Disorders 📋 Public Health Policy ⚗️ Chemical Regulation 📢 Disease Activism

Ending Parkinson's Disease 90%

Parkinson's is the fastest-growing brain disease, and the chemicals causing it are still legal.

by Ray Dorsey 2020

4.31

328 ratings

🌍 Environmental Health 🧠 Neurological Disorders 📋 Public Health Policy ⚗️ Chemical Regulation 📢 Disease Activism

Unforgiving Places

by Jens Ludwig • 2025

Most shootings begin as arguments. The neighborhood, not the motive, determines who dies.

4.21

237

🧠 Behavioral Economics 🏙️ Urban Violence 🔫 Gun Policy 🤔 Cognitive Biases 🗣️ Conflict De-Escalation

Unforgiving Places 90%

Most shootings begin as arguments. The neighborhood, not the motive, determines who dies.

by Jens Ludwig 2025

4.21

237 ratings

🧠 Behavioral Economics 🏙️ Urban Violence 🔫 Gun Policy 🤔 Cognitive Biases 🗣️ Conflict De-Escalation

Politics Is for Power

by Eitan D. Hersh • 2020

Political obsession is a spectator sport that cedes power to the people who actually organize.

4.09

1k+

🏘️ Community Organizing ⚡ Power Building 📱 Slacktivism 📺 Media Criticism 🫂 Empathy In Politics

Politics Is for Power 90%

Political obsession is a spectator sport that cedes power to the people who actually organize.

by Eitan D. Hersh 2020

4.09

1k+ ratings

🏘️ Community Organizing ⚡ Power Building 📱 Slacktivism 📺 Media Criticism 🫂 Empathy In Politics

This Is an Uprising

by Mark Engler • 2016

Nonviolence is not a virtue. It is a technology of conflict, and it brings down regimes.

4.20

1k+

🕊️ Civil Resistance 📢 Social Movements 🧱 Movement Building ⚡ Disruption Tactics 🪧 Mass Protest

This Is an Uprising 90%

Nonviolence is not a virtue. It is a technology of conflict, and it brings down regimes.

by Mark Engler 2016

4.20

1k+ ratings

🕊️ Civil Resistance 📢 Social Movements 🧱 Movement Building ⚡ Disruption Tactics 🪧 Mass Protest

Networks of New York

by Ingrid Burrington • 2016

Orange lines on the pavement mark fiber-optic cables: a field guide to the visible internet.

3.80

232

🏙️ Urban Infrastructure 🌐 Network Infrastructure 📖 Visual Field Guides 🔭 Urban Observation 📡 Surveillance Technology

Networks of New York 90%

Orange lines on the pavement mark fiber-optic cables: a field guide to the visible internet.

by Ingrid Burrington 2016

3.80

232 ratings

🏙️ Urban Infrastructure 🌐 Network Infrastructure 📖 Visual Field Guides 🔭 Urban Observation 📡 Surveillance Technology

Population 10 Billion

by Danny Dorling • 2013

We may never reach 10 billion people. The real threat is inequality, not numbers.

3.40

186

🌍 Human Geography 📊 Demography 🏙️ Urban Planning 👶 Fertility Decline 💰 Consumption Inequality

Population 10 Billion 90%

We may never reach 10 billion people. The real threat is inequality, not numbers.

by Danny Dorling 2013

3.40

186 ratings

🌍 Human Geography 📊 Demography 🏙️ Urban Planning 👶 Fertility Decline 💰 Consumption Inequality

Diagnosis

by Jane M. Hightower • 2008

Your tuna sandwich contains a neurotoxin, and the government knew it long before your doctor did.

3.53

🔬 Environmental Toxicology 🏛️ Public Health Policy 💼 Regulatory Capture 🍽️ Food Politics 🔍 Medical Detective Stories

Diagnosis 90%

Your tuna sandwich contains a neurotoxin, and the government knew it long before your doctor did.

by Jane M. Hightower 2008

3.53

34 ratings

🔬 Environmental Toxicology 🏛️ Public Health Policy 💼 Regulatory Capture 🍽️ Food Politics 🔍 Medical Detective Stories

The Rise of the Creative Class

by Richard Florida • 2004

Jobs once followed factories. Now a class of creatives clusters in the most tolerant cities.

3.68

3k+

🏙️ Urban Economics 🎨 Creative Industries 🧠 Knowledge Work 🌍 Economic Geography 🏗️ Place Making

The Rise of the Creative Class 90%

Jobs once followed factories. Now a class of creatives clusters in the most tolerant cities.

by Richard Florida 2004

3.68

3k+ ratings

🏙️ Urban Economics 🎨 Creative Industries 🧠 Knowledge Work 🌍 Economic Geography 🏗️ Place Making

Power to the Public

by Tara Dawson McGuinness • 2021

Government services fail because they skip users. The fix: design with people, real data, iterate.

3.98

320

🏛️ Civic Technology 📜 Government Reform 🧑‍💻 Human-Centered Design 📈 Evidence-Based Policy 💻 Digital Transformation

Power to the Public 90%

Government services fail because they skip users. The fix: design with people, real data, iterate.

by Tara Dawson McGuinness 2021

3.98

320 ratings

🏛️ Civic Technology 📜 Government Reform 🧑‍💻 Human-Centered Design 📈 Evidence-Based Policy 💻 Digital Transformation

The Storm Before the Calm

by George Friedman • 2020

Every eighty years America's government breaks; every fifty, its economy. Now both arrive at once.

4.05

3k+

🏛️ American Political History 🔄 Cyclical History 🌪️ Crisis And Renewal 👥 Demographic Shifts 💾 Technology And Society

The Storm Before the Calm 90%

Every eighty years America's government breaks; every fifty, its economy. Now both arrive at once.

by George Friedman 2020

4.05

3k+ ratings

🏛️ American Political History 🔄 Cyclical History 🌪️ Crisis And Renewal 👥 Demographic Shifts 💾 Technology And Society

Traffic

by Tom Vanderbilt • 2008

Remove the signs, roads grow safer. The psychology of why drivers misjudge danger.

3.72

8k+

🧠 Behavioral Economics 🚗 Urban Mobility ⚠️ Risk Perception 🔍 Cognitive Biases 🎯 Nudge Theory

Traffic 90%

Remove the signs, roads grow safer. The psychology of why drivers misjudge danger.

by Tom Vanderbilt 2008

3.72

8k+ ratings

🧠 Behavioral Economics 🚗 Urban Mobility ⚠️ Risk Perception 🔍 Cognitive Biases 🎯 Nudge Theory

Homelessness Is a Housing Problem

by Gregg Colburn • 2022

Homelessness rates don't track mental illness or poverty. They track rent and vacancy rates.

4.21

1k+

� Housing Policy 🏙️ Urban Economics 🏘️ Affordable Housing 🏡 Housing First 🗺️ Urban Planning

Homelessness Is a Housing Problem Summary

Homelessness Is a Housing Problem 90%

Homelessness rates don't track mental illness or poverty. They track rent and vacancy rates.

by Gregg Colburn 2022

4.21

1k+ ratings

� Housing Policy 🏙️ Urban Economics 🏘️ Affordable Housing 🏡 Housing First 🗺️ Urban Planning

The Great Displacement

by Jake Bittle • 2023

Climate disasters are displacing millions; housing markets and insurance can't keep up.

4.28

4k+

🌍 Climate Migration ⚖️ Environmental Justice 🇺🇸 American Migration 💧 Water Crisis 🚒 Disaster Recovery

The Great Displacement 90%

Climate disasters are displacing millions; housing markets and insurance can't keep up.

by Jake Bittle 2023

4.28

4k+ ratings

🌍 Climate Migration ⚖️ Environmental Justice 🇺🇸 American Migration 💧 Water Crisis 🚒 Disaster Recovery

End Times

by Peter Turchin • 2023

Ten millennia of data point to two conditions for state collapse. America now meets both.

4.06

3k+

📊 Quantitative History 💥 Political Instability 👑 Elite Theory ✊ Revolution Theory 🏚️ State Collapse

End Times 90%

Ten millennia of data point to two conditions for state collapse. America now meets both.

by Peter Turchin 2023

4.06

3k+ ratings

📊 Quantitative History 💥 Political Instability 👑 Elite Theory ✊ Revolution Theory 🏚️ State Collapse

No Impact Man

by Colin Beavan • 2009

90 gallons of trash in 4 days: a Manhattan family aims for zero, for a year.

3.78

5k+

🏙️ Urban Sustainability 🧪 Lifestyle Experiments 🗑️ Waste Reduction 🥕 Local Food 🧘 Voluntary Simplicity

No Impact Man 90%

90 gallons of trash in 4 days: a Manhattan family aims for zero, for a year.

by Colin Beavan 2009

3.78

5k+ ratings

🏙️ Urban Sustainability 🧪 Lifestyle Experiments 🗑️ Waste Reduction 🥕 Local Food 🧘 Voluntary Simplicity

BOOM

by Tony Horwitz • 2014

From oil sands to Gulf Coast: a pipeline route where roughnecks, strippers, and ranchers collide.

3.89

713

🛢️ Energy Politics 🏭 Oil Industry 📰 Narrative Journalism 🗺️ Travelogue 🌍 Environmental Justice

BOOM 90%

From oil sands to Gulf Coast: a pipeline route where roughnecks, strippers, and ranchers collide.

by Tony Horwitz 2014

3.89

713 ratings

🛢️ Energy Politics 🏭 Oil Industry 📰 Narrative Journalism 🗺️ Travelogue 🌍 Environmental Justice

The Origins of the Urban Crisis

by Thomas J. Sugrue • 1996

Detroit collapsed from job loss and housing segregation decades before the 1967 riot finished it.

4.24

2k+

🏙️ Urban History ⚖️ Racial Inequality 🏭 Deindustrialization 🏠 Housing Segregation ✈️ White Flight

The Origins of the Urban Crisis 90%

Detroit collapsed from job loss and housing segregation decades before the 1967 riot finished it.

by Thomas J. Sugrue 1996

4.24

2k+ ratings

🏙️ Urban History ⚖️ Racial Inequality 🏭 Deindustrialization 🏠 Housing Segregation ✈️ White Flight

How the World Really Works

by Vaclav Smil • 2022

Both doomers and utopians skip the same thing: modern civilization's staggering material scale.

3.94

14k+

⚡ Energy Systems 🏭 Industrial Ecology 🌾 Global Food Systems 📊 Quantitative Reasoning ⚖️ Risk Perception

How the World Really Works 90%

Both doomers and utopians skip the same thing: modern civilization's staggering material scale.

by Vaclav Smil 2022

3.94

14k+ ratings

⚡ Energy Systems 🏭 Industrial Ecology 🌾 Global Food Systems 📊 Quantitative Reasoning ⚖️ Risk Perception

Municipal Dreams

by John Boughton • 2018

Britain built some of the world's best public housing, then spent 40 years dismantling it.

3.92

769

🏠 Social Housing 🏙️ Urban History 📋 Housing Policy 🏛️ Welfare State 🏭 Privatization

Municipal Dreams 90%

Britain built some of the world's best public housing, then spent 40 years dismantling it.

by John Boughton 2018

3.92

769 ratings

🏠 Social Housing 🏙️ Urban History 📋 Housing Policy 🏛️ Welfare State 🏭 Privatization

The Two Percent Solution

by Matt Miller • 2003

America's biggest domestic problems cost two percent of GDP to fix. That's the whole argument.

3.98

🏛️ Domestic Policy 🏥 Healthcare Reform 📚 Education Reform 💰 Campaign Finance 🤝 Bipartisan Solutions

The Two Percent Solution 90%

America's biggest domestic problems cost two percent of GDP to fix. That's the whole argument.

by Matt Miller 2003

3.98

89 ratings

🏛️ Domestic Policy 🏥 Healthcare Reform 📚 Education Reform 💰 Campaign Finance 🤝 Bipartisan Solutions

Compare Features	Free	Pro
📖 Read Summaries Read unlimited summaries. Free users get 3 per month
🎧 Listen to Summaries Listen to unlimited summaries in 40 languages	—
❤️ Unlimited Bookmarks Free users are limited to 4	—
📜 Unlimited History Free users are limited to 4	—
📥 Unlimited Downloads Free users are limited to 1	—

People love SoBrief

Join our global community of 600,000+ readers

★★★★★

This site is a total game-changer. I've been flying through book summaries like never before. Highly, highly recommend.

— Dave G

Worth my money and time, and really well made. I've never seen this quality of summaries on other websites. Very helpful!

— Em

Highly recommended!! Fantastic service. Perfect for those that want a little more than a teaser but not all the intricate details of a full audio book.

— Greg M