Reddit mentions of The City Shaped: Urban Patterns and Meanings Through History

I had a book named The City Shaped that talked about this. A link to it on Amazon here

I highly suggest purchasing resource books on urban design, urban planning, and city structure. I will list some for you. I like to keep the aid of resource books in my personal library collection, and I am finding that urban planning resource books are helping me greatly in my world-building process.

I highly suggest looking into the life work of urban planner and MIT lecturer Kevin A. Lynch. He studied how urban environments are heavily shaped and influenced by fundamental human values and perceptions. Cities reflected directly those whom lived within them according to Lynch.

Here is a list of books as well as a link to their Amazon page:

• Good City Form by Kevin A. Lynch link here
  
  
• The Image of the City by Kevin A. Lynch link here
  
  
• The City in History: Its Origins, Its Transformations, and Its Prospects by Lewis Mumford link here
  
  
• Design of Cities: Revised Edition by Edmund N. Bacon link here
  
  
• The City Shaped: Urban Patterns and Meanings Through History by Spiro Kostof link here
  
  Provided on each page is a wide variety of other resource books depending on the time period you are aiming on world-building around. I hope this helped.

Probably not what you're looking for, but if you're interested in the shape and design of CITIES specifically, I recommend Spiro Kostof's "The City Shaped". Really good primer on the evolution of city forms and why they're built the way they are. Should be more informative than just looking at pictures. <=)

Okay, I'm not going into architecture really but I would like to have some advice. I'm in illustration and I'm looking on learning how to design and get the fundamentals of architecture. I'm pretty decent at perspective (I'm in technical illustration) and I mainly want to learn the thought process. Some books mentioned in this thread are pretty interesting and I'm contemplating on maybe buying one or 2. Although before I do I was wondering if anyone can enlighten me on these books I've found on my own but unsure about the quality:

http://www.amazon.com/City-Shaped-Patterns-Meanings-Through/dp/0821220160/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373412339&sr=1-1&keywords=The+City+Shaped%3A+Urban+Patterns+and+Meanings+Through+History

^ This books seems really promising, but of course the price puts me off a little (I plan on buying more than one book) anyone have this book? Seems really great for inspiration and learning how cities develop.

http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Architecture-Francis-D-Ching/dp/1118142063/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373412493&sr=1-1&keywords=Introduction+to+Architecture

^ again another promising book but the price Q.Q Same issue as the other book above. Feedback is appreciated.

http://www.amazon.com/Architectural-Graphics-Francis-D-Ching/dp/0470399112/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373412567&sr=1-1&keywords=Architectural+Graphics

http://www.amazon.ca/Interior-Design-Illustrated-Francis-Ching/dp/1118090713/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=9P9QTDTSZXLG&coliid=I248RXWWVDQ6NZ

I'm basically looking at Ching's books. Last one is a .ca amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/City-Shaped-Patterns-Meanings-Through/dp/0821220160