The Invention of the Future : A History of Cities in the Modern World

A kaleidoscopic and original new history of urbanization-from Lisbon to New York, Paris to Rio de Janeiro, and Buenos Aires to LagosFor the past three centuries, urban dwellers and planners have imagined future cities that would be radically different from those of the past.Planners pursued progress, whether focused on flying vehicles above, sewage systems below, or daily life in between.Yet, as Bruno Carvalho shows in this original and wide-ranging history, which features some sixty illustrations, modern cities continuously defied predictions.Visionary designs and technological innovations created dramatic, unforeseen outcomes, and the ongoing urban boom is a story of continuity as well as rupture.A compelling history of imagined futures and the transformation of urban life, The Invention of the Future also suggests what we might learn from the stories of our cities as we shape them for the twenty-first century. Moving between large-scale changes and detailed examples, this captivatin