The Genealogy of Cities

Although contemporary professional use of the term dates from the mid-twentieth century, "urban design" has been practiced throughout history. Examples of carefully planned ancient cities exist in Asia, India, Africa, Europe, and the Americas and are hallmarks of classical Chinese, Roman, and Greek cultures.
The Genealogy of Cities is a compilation of ancient and modern city plans, from 350 BCE to the present, depicting both built and proposed plans. Written in clear and accessible prose, it is illustrated with more than 500 plans drawn at the same scale, a unique feature of this work. It provides a previously unavailable tool for academics and professionals who must grapple with the issue of scale in researching and teaching urban design or when creating new urban spaces. Author Charles P. Graves Jr. created these computer-generated plans to provide a method of understanding models for modern cities while also creating a series of typological diagrams for both historical periods and city fabric. Also included in this volume is a CD containing 1000-plus plans that will allow the user to print the urban plans at any scale.
This is a useful and impressive reference book for students, scholars, and urban design and planning professionals and those interested in city planning, urban geography; urban morphology; architecture, cartography; and art history.

Charles P. Graves, Jr. is associate professor of architecture at Kent State University.