Little Earth's cities

Author: Zhong Dekun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-09-01
Features: In this book, based on the Reith Lectures of 1995 (the renowned BBC "Reith Lectures" in the UK), Richard Rogers proposes a new blueprint for future cities. He argues that architecture and urban planning affect our daily lives and issues a warning about the potential and catastrophic impacts of modern life on the environment. The book reminds us that the world is facing a potentially transformative future. It points out that expanding cities have accommodated over 50% of the global population, a phenomenon that consumes excessive resources and generates severe pollution, so we must take preventive measures to avoid these disasters. Rogers believes that urban architecture must be built upon human civilization. He particularly emphasizes that successful cities should encourage daily exchanges and interactions among people, not just formal ones. He criticizes late 20th-century capitalism for being solely focused on profit rather than building cities. Under the framework of politics and architecture, he initiates a renewed revolution for the future. He proposes building a "" (a city that can accommodate), where mass transportation will replace personal cars, and mixed-use communities will replace functional ones. Buildings will be designed with modern technology to meet environmental requirements. The power of this book lies in its simplification of these controversial issues. This does not mean the book is merely continuing to discuss known problems, but rather directly addresses the fundamental ethical crisis of globalized communities. How can the future development of cities consider a global perspective to reduce construction and achieve sustainability? The answer is simple: it depends on what everyone does—politicians, planners, developers, governments, and the public. This book studies urban construction in the form of a photographic text, discussing the culture of cities, sustainable cities, and sustainable architecture, using London as an example to explore its humanistic characteristics, etc.