The Death And Life Of Great American Cities, by Jane Jacobs

I borrowed this one from a friend who’s interested in architecture. I didn’t completely appreciate it as I was flipping through it, but after a while I came to see it for what it was- a stunning bottom-up observation of the huge beast of society, and a tremendous understanding of how little interactions make a big difference. It becomes clear that cities are living organisms, and it’s startling how simple principles of design can make or break them.