Build and inhabit

Building and Living is a study of people in the city, the evolution of public spaces, and how buildings affect people's lives.

In his series of works on Homo faber , which began with The Artificer and Together , Richard Sennett studied the craftsmanship and cooperation involved in building a society. This volume, which concludes the trilogy, is a study of man in the city, the evolution of public space, and how buildings affect people's lives. The argument stems from a central question: can ethics shape city planning?

Drawing on years of urban planning research, Sennett explores the relationship between effective use of built space and a good life. The idea of an "open city," where people can learn to manage the complexity of space harmoniously and without conflict, is presented in contrast to a "closed city"—secretive, regimented, and controlled—showing how the structure of cities can enrich or hinder the daily experience of residents.

Comprehensively, with examples ranging from London, Paris, and Barcelona to Shanghai, Bombay, and Medellín, and citing classical thinkers as well as his own decades of experience as an urban planner—testing in practice what works and what doesn't and why—Sennett suggests that the practical solution to most urban problems is to find an ethical solution to the relationship between city planning and its inhabitants.

Packed with reflections that are extremely relevant to our current times—when urban space is increasingly occupied and housing is a pressing issue— Building and Living presents a bold and original vision for the future of cities.