The Language of Towns and Cities is an oddly personal work. I say "oddly," because the book's title invokes that most characteristically objective of all books, the dictionary.

Brazil was not the only developing country beset with exploding urban populations but the transition to democracy in Brazil allowed for a dramatic change in the goals and tools of urban planning.

The book is a stimulating collection of articles by Brazilian planners and architects concerning not only contemporary urbanism in their country, but also the history that resulted in the urbanism that is now "contemporary."

Cities thrive on complexity but suffer under chaos. Humans respond to chaos by creating systems. Systems require cooperative efforts that, in turn, require planning.

A few weeks ago, I concluded Part One of this review of the book Urban Design by referring to Joan Busquets' citation of ten eclectic "contemporary approaches" to urbanism to illustrate the viability of urban design today.

Urban Design is an excellent guide to both the history of Urban Design as a field and today's conflicts both within and without.

Professor William Lucy believes that America has reached a point where the long trend toward more dispersed and suburban living is turning toward a more urban future.

If The Smart Growth Manual used images that were more urban, it would have an easier time facilitating a dialogue between the warring camps of urbanists.