The way in which most city inhabitants and visitors interact with an urban landscape on a day-to-day basis is on the street level. Storefronts, first floor apartments, and sidewalks are the
most immediate and common experience of a city. These plinths are the ground floors that negotiate between inside and outside, the public and private spheres. Featuring more than one-hundred
pages of new analysis and a new foreword from Jean Clos, under-secretary-general of the United Nations and executive director of UN-Habitat, this thoroughly revised and expanded edition of
The City at Eye Level qualitatively evaluates plinths by exploring specific examples from all over the world. Over twenty-five experts investigate the design, land use, and road and
foot traffic in rigorously researched essays, case studies, and interviews. These pieces are supplemented by over two hundred beautiful color images—sixty new to this edition—that engage not
only with issues in design, but also the concerns of urban communities. The editors have put together a comprehensive guide for anyone concerned with improving or building plinths, including
planners, building owners, property and shop managers, designers, and architects.
