The Language of Cities

I took a break from fiction toward the end of December to read Deyan Sudjic's collection of essays focused on the development of the modern city. The collection -- published as The Language of Cities -- is part philosophy, part reflection. It's thought provoking without being contrary, and provides a helpful guide to the growth of cities in the contemporary age. 

Sudjic is best on London, and offers a number of convincing insights regarding the expansion of Canary Wharf, or the area around what is now Spitalfields Market. Sudjic is less compelling, however, when addressing the growth of Asian cities, or the development of those small towns which constitute Silicon Valley. Here, I found his arguments somewhat predictable: it's clear that Sudjic is most comfortable with European cities and the approach implied by their evolution. 

The Language of Cities is one of those books which both says a lot and, at the same time, contributes very little. This is a collection with a number of smart insights: none of which are revolutionary and none which are as precise as those which might be offered by a historian or architectural critic. These are anecdotes and proclivities made universal -- which is not a critique, necessarily: indeed, some of my favorite essays by John Berger do something similar. 

What's missing here is proper orientation: Sudjic is a thinker, an observer; he's not an economist, not a historian or social scientist. I appreciated his essays for their conviction and style. But to be clear, they did not read as an answer: for me, they functioned as an extended question.