How should we understand our cities? In Why Cities Look the Way They Do (Polity, 2019), Richard Williams, Professor of Contemporary Visual Cultures in History of Art at the University of Edinburgh explores the processes that shape the city foregrounding images over the idea that cities are designed or planned. The processes include the impact and influence of money, war, gender and sexuality, along with power and work. The book has a wealth of examples from cities across the world, from the megacities of Brazil, the financial hub of London, the sexual and computing spaces of San Francisco, to the aftermath of war in Belgrade. The range of examples, along with the focus on processes, make the book essential reading across the humanities and for anyone interested in contemporary urban life.

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