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Turkey's greatest living novelist guides us through the monuments and lost paradises, dilapidated Ottoman villas, back streets, and waterways of Istanbul - the city of his birth and the home of his imagination.

Why do well-intentioned plans for improving the human condition go tragically awry? Author James C. Scott analyzes failed cases of large-scale authoritarian plans in a variety of fields. Centrally managed social plans misfire, Scott argues, when they impose schematic visions that do violence to complex interdependencies that are not - and cannot - be fully understood. Further, the success of designs for social organization depends upon the recognition that local, practical knowledge is as important as formal, epistemic knowledge.

Thirty years after its publication, The Death and Life of Great American Cities was described by The New York Times as "perhaps the most influential single work in the history of town planning....[It] can also be seen in a much larger context. It is first of all a work of literature; the...

The story of the young sociologist who studied a Chicago crack-dealing gang from the inside captured the world's attention when it was first described in Freakonomics. Gang Leader for a Day is the fascinating full story of how Sudhir Venkatesh managed to gain entrée into the gang, what he...

Geoffrey West's research centres on a quest to find unifying principles and patterns connecting everything, from cells and ecosystems to cities, social networks and businesses. Scale addresses big, urgent questions about global sustainability, population explosion, urbanization, ageing, cancer, human life spans and the increasing pace of life but also encourages us to question the world around us.

From the author of the New York Times and international best seller Unfu*k Yourself, Gary John Bishop presents a no-holds-barred guide to breaking through our cycles of self-sabotage to get what we want out of life. In Unfu*k Yourself, Gary John Bishop told us it was time to stop making excuses - to recognise and take responsibility for the negative self-talk holding us back. In Stop Doing That Sh*t, he builds on that message, teaching us how to stop self-sabotaging behaviour. Bishop explains how our destructive cycles come down to the way we’re wired.

A Montreal garbageman’s sharp and funny memoir/exposé, in which he attempts to convince people to “stop imagining that your garbage magically disappears” This fascinating no-bullshit account of twenty years in waste management paints a vivid portrait of the heroic labor, anarchic spirit...

A witty and humane account of one man, multiple jobs and what it means to live A Book of the Year in the Guardian, Sunday Times, Economist and the Financial Times Shortlisted for the Baifang Schell Book Prize: Award for Outstanding Non-Fiction Hu AnYan has held nineteen different jobs since he...

Annawadi is a makeshift settlement in the shadow of luxury hotels near the Mumbai airport, and as India starts to prosper, Annawadians are electric with hope. Abdul, a reflective and enterprising Muslim teenager, sees "a fortune beyond counting" in the recyclable garbage that richer people throw away. Asha, a woman of formidable wit and deep scars from a childhood in rural poverty, has identified an alternate route to the middle class: political corruption.

Africa Is Not a Country is a kaleidoscopic portrait of modern Africa that pushes back against harmful stereotypes to tell a more comprehensive story. You already know these stereotypes. So often Africa is depicted simplistically as an arid red landscape of famines and safaris, uniquely plagued by poverty and strife. In this funny and insightful book, Dipo Faloyin offers a much-needed corrective, creating a fresh and multifaceted view of this vast continent.

For more than four decades after gaining independence, India, with its massive size and population, staggering poverty and slow rate of growth, was associated with the plodding, somnolent elephant, comfortably resting on its achievements of centuries gone by. Then in the early 1990s the elephant...

Trace the explosive urbanization of a forgotten desert outpost into a hyper-modern geopolitical powerhouse fueled by oil. Perfect for an eye-opening commute, this deep dive reveals how tribal alliances and pearl diving gave way to glass towers and billion-dollar investments. Beyond the glossy...

Trace 600 years of gripping Asian history as a quiet Confucian capital evolves into a sprawling global tech megacity. Perfect for a daily commute or armchair travel, this immersive urban biography explores the dramatic rise of a society shaped by imperial ambition, war, and relentless innovation...

Trace a ruined metropolis's rise from the ashes of the Korean War to a hyper-modern tech capital in this gripping urban history. Perfect for an inspiring daily commute or immersive travel prep, this fast-paced narrative sweeps you through decades of breakneck industrialization and cultural...

Uncover the gripping urban history of a modest coastal port that exploded into a volatile, geopolitical megacity. Perfect for your morning commute, this immersive historical deep-dive transports you to the shores of the Arabian Sea. Experience the relentless energy of a boomtown forged by trade...

Transform climate anxiety into practical environmental action by mastering the tools of a resilient, green economy. Whether you are commuting to a corporate job or brainstorming local neighborhood projects, this hopeful audio experience provides the systems thinking required for true...

Master the hidden systems of urban planning and sustainable design to transform your daily commute and local community. Whether you are waiting for a delayed bus, renting a downtown apartment, or walking through your neighborhood, the invisible rules of civic design impact your everyday life...

Uncover the hidden urban infrastructure and social dynamics that silently control your daily commute and city living. From the frustrated passenger waiting for a delayed bus to the pressured zoning planner, these grounded, thought-provoking stories reveal the secret machinery of our...

Step inside the American housing crisis where displaced families battle soaring evictions and systemic corporate greed. Perfect for your daily commute, this urgent, empathetic narrative transforms abstract economic policies into deeply personal stories of survival. You will walk alongside gig...

Demystify the modern housing crisis and navigate today's brutal real estate market with clear, actionable economics. Whether you are actively house hunting, struggling to afford rent, or just trying to make sense of alarming headlines, this grounded deep-dive replaces anxiety with practical...