The book shows examples of small things -- City Comforts -- that make urban life pleasant: places where people
can meet, methods to tame cars and to make buildings good neighbors, art that infuses personality into locations
and makes them into places. Many of these small details are so obvious as to be invisible.
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1. How to Build an Urban Village
Why the urban village is appealing, and its three key architectural patterns.
CHAPTER 2. Bumping into People
The city is a place to bump into, to "mix and meet." Four general principles and
some specific examples.
CHAPTER 3. The Three Rules
Creating walkable neighborhoods is a matter of arranging the building on the site.
CHAPTER 4. Getting Around
Motion is a delight, and a virtue of our era is how many people can enjoy it. "Traffic
calming," bicycles as transport, and universal accessibility keep a city moving ahead.
CHAPTER 5. Knowing Where You Are
Our modern cities are vast and confusing. But there are ways to make the world
more comprehensible.
CHAPTER 6. Feeling Safe
The design of buildings and streetscapes alone does not make cities safer. But some
basic principles -- natural surveillance and territoriality -- can make a difference.
CHAPTER 7. Children in the City
Children are an indicator species of urban health.
CHAPTER 8. Little Necessities
Little personal comforts make life, well, more comfortable.
CHAPTER 9. Fitting In
New buildings are often more unpopular than need be because they do not follow
simple rules for being a good neighbor.
CHAPTER 10. Smoothing Edges: Buffers and Shields
Sharp change is unsettling. Certain uses conflict with others. There are ways to make
them more harmonious.
CHAPTER 11. Waste Not, Want Not: Old Shoes Are More Comfortable
Weaving the old and the new together is good business and good sense. There are
several ways we do so -- discovered spaces, habitat restoration, and recycling are
three examples.
CHAPTER 12. Personalizing the City with Art: "Kilroy Was Here"
Public art is important in helping to create places and breaking down the walls of
personal isolation.
