Good Cities, Better Lives How Europe Discovered the Lost Art of Urbanism

Building the New Jerusalem: Five Challenges for Cities  Part 1: Facing the Challenges  1. The First Challenge: Rebalancing Our Urban Economies  2. The Second Challenge: Building New HomesNot Enough New Homes  3. The Third Challenge: Linking People and PlacesLondon: From Classic Public Transport Metropolis to Mega-City Region  4. The Fourth Challenge: Living with Finite Resources  5. The Fifth Challenge: Fixing Broken Machinery  Part 2: Learning From Model Cities: A Twenty-First-Century Grand Tour 6. Going on Tour  7. Boosting Economic Growth in Germany  8. Building Sustainable Suburbs in the Netherlands  9. France Uses Transport to Develop and Regenerate Cities  10. Conserving Resources in Scandinavia: Stockholm and Copenhagen–MalmöStockholm’s Planned Satellite Towns  11. Freiburg: The City That Did It All  Part 3: Lessons from Europe  12. Learning the Lessons

Biography

Sir Peter Hall (1932 - 2014) was Bartlett Professor of Planning and Regeneration at University College London, and President of both the Town and Country Planning Association and the Regional Studies Association. He produced over fifty books in his career and is internationally renowned for his studies on all aspects of cities and regions.  

[It] is already the book everyone is talking about as we see our cities’ planning departments decimated around us. It is a beacon of what is possible and gives hope.  - Times Higher Education - Best books of 2013

An acute analysis - Lord Andrew Adonis, Financial Times

If you have ever wondered what a Catapult is or how it connects to the rest of the UK economy and political system, then this is the book for you. The writing is admirable and rich in human interest, with tales of multitasking French mayors, scandalous research disagreements and Scandi-noir all contributing to the integrity of the whole. - Flora Samuel, Times Higher Education

Hall has a clear idea of what the planning discipline should be about: it should be grounded in an understanding of the real world; it should be informed by a deep knowledge of history and a sense of cultural possibility; and, above all, it should remain focused on improving lives. He is himself the consummate planner. - Ben Rogers, The Guardian

"As usual, a book by Peter Hall takes a historic view, and is filled with erudite gems and facts. No doubt this self-designated city travelogue is addressed to urban designers." – Judith Ryser, Researcher, Journalist, Writer and Urban Affairs Consultant to Fundacion Metropoli, Madrid

"In this book Peter Hall has distilled the wisdom of an illustrious academic career into an ambitious blueprint for future successful, sustainable, resilient and equitable places. In writing this normative vision Hall has passed on the baton and set down the challenge for the next generation of academics and practitioners, to attempt to surmount the governance and financial obstacles, and realise the vision of Good Cities, Better Lives." – David McGuinness, Northumbria University

Good Cities, Better Lives offers useful insights for policy makers, spatial planners and urban geographers. It is a timely and a stimulating read for anyone interested in understanding more about the current issues cities are facing. It provides a comprehensive set of inspiring examples of innovative and creative planning practice in the urban space. – Urban Studies, Eduardo Oliveira, University of Groningen, the Netherlands

"I would not hesitate recommending this book as a ‘must have’ to anyone who is interested in urban and planning issues, including academics, students and policy-makers. It is a timely book that provides useful insights into how planning should be grounded in an understanding of reality that is informed by history and experiences with the aim of improving the lives of everyone. This book offers an excellent start to this project. Sadly, Sir Peter Hall passed away at the end of July 2014." – Housing Studies, Corina Buckenberger, Institute of Geography and Geoecology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany