1 comments about Designing the World's Best Bars.

1. This is a nice book for viewing bars that have already been designed. However, I wanted to actually design a bar and this book didn't help me with that at all. Good book. Nice pictures. But if you are looking to actually design a bar, then this book will not help. This book would have been more accurate if it were titled "the world's best designed bars."

1 comments about Contemporary Urban Planning (8th Edition).

1. This book gives a broad spectrum of what to expect in the planning field, but there are a few flaws. One is that the book is not written for the technocratic planner, it is written for the beginner or someone who is not going to make planning their career. But this book will give the beginner a broad basis to start from and for this I do suggest the beginner to read this before they choose planning as a career.

5 comments about Smart Communities: How Citizens and Local Leaders Can Use Strategic Thinking to Build a Brighter Future.

1. I got this book because it is being used as a textbook for a college course I am taking, but once I got into the book, I started enjoying it. Morse is a real excellent writer and she makes the subject matter of creating good communities interesting. Normally, I would dread reading a book for class, but this one is a good read especially for those who wnat to be more involved in making a smart community.



2. I'm sure that you are busy. I've got a lot of things to do myself, more than I can get done today. And then the time comes when you have to stop being busy, some times you just have to sit and let the batteries recharge. As the old saying goes, sometimes I sits and thinks, and sometimes I just sits.
   
   And the question has to come up of what can one person, you or me do to make the community we live in a better place. Suzanne Morse's book can't tell you what you can do. But it can tell you what other people like you have done. Will her ideas work in New York City, no. Will they work on the block you live in within New York City, in the neighborhood you live in, yes.
   
   Meanwhile I've got to quit writing about this book. I'm going help the local community theater try to get started. I don't know anything about theater, but I can find some way to help, even if it's just sweeping the floor.



3. This book is an antidote for the cynicism and sense of helplessness that pervades too many of our communities. We are given actual examples of communities builing on their strengths, talents, histories and values to create new energy and optimism. As an amatuer historian, my favorite chapter was the one on preserving the past as a way to begin building the new. Now I have the language to encourage renewal by honoring the past.



4. I was attracted to this book while looking for insights into strategic thinking for work in another arena. I was not disappointed.

   Smart Communities offers many very useable ideas for anyone with responsibilities for thinking and acting strategically to enhance our lives together. And that probably includes most everyone.

   Along with very practical help, the accounts and interpretations of real experiences also offer inspiration and hope.




5. Finally, an exceedingly hopeful book about how to effect meaningful change in a community, large or small. Here, Dr. Suzanne Morse, in her characteristic lively and to-the-point style, has given us a guide, repleat with documented examples of how to move the needle on those issues we're all too familiar with: poverty, lack of a board base of leadership, chidren's welfare. Armed with more than 10 years of hands on experience working with groups in communities all across the country, Dr. Morse's book, as well as many of her other supportive pieces such as What Works, guarantees us all that we no longer have to start at square one. If you were depressed by Robert Putnam's novel a few years back, Bowling Alone, which bemoaned the lack of citizen involvement in communities today, this book and the work of Dr. Morse will give you not only hope but the tools to join forces with others where you live to make a difference.
   Read it for the cheer joy of finding out how this is done, and done well.Each chapter ends with, How to Get Started in Your Community, a virtual workbook for action. Her reference section will also help guide you in fruitful directions.Putnam's latest book, Better Together: Restoring the American Community, speaks of a hint that citizens are beginning to "bowl together". Dr. Morse's book is proof that they are and have been doing so effectively for the past decade.Enjoy--an exhilerating read.

4 comments about Structure as Architecture: A Source Book for Architects and Structural Engineers.

1. If architecture is viewed as ideas of establishing different relationships between people and space, then structure is the first step to achieve these relationship in reality. How do we appropriately use different structure elements in reality, what kind of architectural effects will them create? These questions are answered in Andrew W.Charleson's book 'Structure as architecture'. The book is divided into chapters such as function/exterior/interior of buildings,structural detailing, light and structures and so on, which are discussed from both theoretical and practical approach. With enormous amount of first hand photo illustrations, the book also gives a comprehensive visual case studies to the reader. It is enjoyable to read and I recommend this stunning book to all architectural, building science students as well as architects and engineers in practice.



2. Although Architecture and Engineering are really only different sides of the same coin, they are often treated in completely different ways. Certainly they are normally approached from different directions. Charleson's book addresses this lack of continuity, and reduces structural diagrams down to a simple level (good for architecture students) as well as opening up the ideas of light and air and structure to thoseof a more engineering bent... And from all accounts he's a pretty inspirational lecturer as well, with the students fizzing away with excitement.
   
   End result: if you are a student of Architecture or Engineering, then rush out and buy this book. Invaluable source of knowledge - guaranteed to help you through those exams...



3. As per name, this book provides an excellent reference to building structures that expresses its architectural ideas. The book is well written and provides examples from around the world! ^_^



4. I am a student studying architecture, and have found this book to be a very useful reference.
   
   The first time I used it, I was looking for specific examples of "expressive" architecture. In the index, I found a long list of qualities such as "grounded", "light", "dynamic" etc. with references to pages illustrating specific projects whose structure has those qualities. The clear, full colour photos really help you get the feel of the buildings.
   
   I don't know of any other book that I could have looked to for that purpose. Of course, the content is useful for numerous other reasons as well.

No comments about Village Walks: Tuscany: 50 Adventures on Foot (City Walks).

5 comments about Palm Springs Modern: Houses in the California Desert.

1. Nice book on architecture in the desert.
   It showcases my favorite city perfectly.



2. What I love about Palm Springs Modern is the variety of architects and styles featured. There are great photographs, including houses by John Lautner, Richard Neutra, Craig Ellwood, and Albert Frey among others. A particularly pleasant surprise is the section on the Maslon house by Neutra which was foolishly demolished a few years ago. Love this book!



3. Palm Springs Modern provides a superb photo tour of a handful of landmark homes that defined the 'modern' style in the 1950s and '60s. Because wealthy businessmen and celebrities could afford edgier architecture, the authors focus on these homes -- with a welcome chapter on the talented William Cody in between. If you want a scholarly treatise on modernism in architecture, buy another book. If you want a tantalizing sample of some of the best work, PSM is fine. By the time modernism made its way into mass production homes, it lost much of its inventiveness and aesthetic. Those familiar with the Palm Springs area will notice that the Alexanders' ubiquitous 'butterfly' rooflines have become almost cliche, while the Loewy house and most of the PSM subjects remain exotic.

   Do you need to own PSM before buying or designing a home for the California desert? Clearly the answer is NO. But if you want a virtual tour of some of the most inspired homes of the genre, PSM belongs on your coffee table. And yes, if you live in the Midwest or Northeast you would do yourself a service by putting this away in a closet somewhere during the winter.




4. A classic. If you've never been to Palm Springs, you'll be catching the next flight after leafing thru this fine book. Gorgeous photos of simply incredible buildings. Palm Springs has a quality and character unlike any other "resort" town. The fabulous architecture of the mid-century building boom and a renewed appreciation of the designs of that period has revitalized (again) the Palm Springs area. If you can't visit Palm Springs personally, then pour a martini, sit back and enjoy this book. It's almost like being there!



5. Palm Springs Modern illustrates (in photos) a collection of homes by designers who tested design concepts in the harsh desert environment that complimented, and indeed enhanced the outcome. Those of us who seek inspiration and documentation of the modernist period will find this volumn satisfying. It is not a scholarly book, nor is the text particularly deep in theory of architectural modernism. And it doesn't matter that some of the homeowners were celebrities. What really matters is that there are so many fine examples of modernist architecture and in such close proximity.

3 comments about Bestiary: Being an English Version of the Bodleian Library, Oxford, MS Bodley 764.

1. There is something quintessentially appealing about the rare reproduction which manages to preserve so much of the spirit of the original text. The translation, which is quite clear, is embedded with the original illuminations found in the manuscript, in their original size and location relative to the page. The result is surprisingly refreshing; the decision to eschew modern layout conventions was a wise one. This is not a scholarly edition per se, and some may quibble with occasional word choice. But this medievalist, for one, has no problem with such decisions to leave out mention of the Physiologus; true translation is as much art as science, and anyone doing serious research on this book would (should) be using the original Latin anyway. This is a highly successful translation, and frankly a beautiful book, the sort that should occupy a well-worn spot on shelves of scholars and enthusiasts alike.



2. 'Bestiary' is a decent resource for scholars interested in late medieval English bestiaries, and an excellent work for the interested general public. Amazingly sharp and clear facsimiles of the original illuminations are placed in their original places in relation to the text, and the translation is generally limpid.
   
   Unfortunately, it's not quite enough for real scholarly work--because despite the title, it's not actually an English version of MS Bodley 764. Instead, it's condensed and edited, and there are many liberties in the translation. This makes it more readable, but makes it less useful for scholarly work.
   
   All in all, I recommend it highly as a taste of the genre--a fascinating and rich one for those interested in the history of illumination, natural history, philosophy, and moral instruction. The miniatures and illuminations are beautiful and nicely reproduced, and while the text is incomplete, it is the best translation out there.



3. This book is so informational on bestiary and its fun to read too. It will definitely help you if your doing a report on it. The illistrations are amazing! I never thought that there was such thing as a Manticore. I recommend all of those beast lovers to go out and buy this book. It will help you alot on reports. Or if you just dont have a book to read and you happen to pick up this one. Its wonderful.

3 comments about Natural Landscaping: Designing with Native Plant Communities.

1. Natural Landscaping is an essential resource for anyone interested in landscaping with native plants. The importance of learning to use native plants is so important as we face continuing droughts in various parts of the country, including here in Williamsburg, VA. The book is so full of information that I find myself going back to it often. Many thanks to the authors for this fine volume.



2. Now in an updated and expanded second edition, Natural Landscaping: Designing With Native Plant Communities by licensed architect and landscaping authority John Diekelmann and natural plan restoration expert Robert Schuster is a fascinating, "user friendly" instructional guide on basic landscaping principles, as well as cogent, authoritative advice on how to restore wetlands and introduce native plant species for wetlands, grasslands, forests, and more. Black-and-white photographs as well as an inset section of color plates wonderfully illustrate this meticulous, fact-filled, professional quality, highly recommended "how-to" guide for anyone aspiring to enhance or restore native plant communities.



3. I have the 1982 edition of this book - I stumbled across it and have been amazed ever since that such a book was written in 1982 before this approach to gardening/landscaping was popular.
   It is tailored to the midwest, but the technical solidity and sound design concepts should apply anywhere.

1 comments about Signage Design Manual.

1. This is a preliminary review, based on a first reading only. But I got so excited that I couldn't wait to tell everybody in the field of wayfinding that this book is a 'must have' one! The book of Edo -lavishly and beautifully illustrated by Edo's wife Huda (a specialist in Arabic typography)- gives a complete overview of the discipline of signage, not only essential for designer but especially for clients and the facility managers among them. It shows the importance of good preparation and not to run to a sign designer and ask for more or/and larger and colorful signs. The book is too thick to read at once, but one must keep it close to all ones other reference 'bibles'.

3 comments about Skinny Streets and Green Neighborhoods: Design for Environment and Community.

1. Used it in a board meeting to convince them GREEN is the best color and strategy for design initiatives!! Amazon shipped fast and was right on time for the meeting.



2. I love the bbok, it is beautifully edited, and very relevant for anyone researching on sustainability and cities. It is probably too much focused on the suburban type of neighborhood ( I think they are trying to justify this model through green sustainability ) , but it is very clear and precise on the strategies taken by all these developments.
   
   I was still in needs for more images and detailed sections of the models proposed, that's why I think of it as a reference book. All drawings are very basic, beautifully made but basic.



3. Expertly and knowledgeably co-authored by Cynthia Girling (Director and Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture at the University of British Columbia) and Ronald Kellett (Professor of Landscape Architecture and Director of the Neighborhoods LAB in the Design Centre for Sustainability at the University of British Columbia) Skinny Streets And Green Neighborhoods: Design For Environment And Community is an innovative modern introduction and study of urban planning and ecology that deftly provides the reader with an exceptional selection of proven methods for solving generally difficult problems for community landscapes in urban areas. Inclusive of in-depth analysis with years of experience in the urban planning, with an excellent selection of design strategies for opportune placement of plant life for the essential betterment of the environment. An outstanding contribution to Environmental Studies and Urban Studies reference collections, Skinny Streets And Green Neighborhoods is very strongly recommended for all students of ecological design within the context of an urban environment.