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Soft City: Building Density for Everyday Life Paperback – August 20, 2019

by David Sim (Author), Jan Gehl (Foreword)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 217 ratings
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Imagine waking up to the gentle noises of the city, and moving through your day with complete confidence that you will get where you need to go quickly and efficiently. Soft City is about ease and comfort, where density has a human dimension, adapting to our ever-changing needs, nurturing relationships, and accommodating the pleasures of everyday life. How do we move from the current reality in most cites—separated uses and lengthy commutes in single-occupancy vehicles that drain human, environmental, and community resources—to support a soft city approach?
 
In Soft City David Sim, partner and creative director at Gehl, shows how this is possible, presenting ideas and graphic examples from around the globe. He draws from his vast design experience to make a case for a dense and diverse built environment at a human scale, which he presents through a series of observations of older and newer places, and a range of simple built phenomena, some traditional and some totally new inventions.
 
Sim shows that increasing density is not enough. The soft city must consider the organization and layout of the built environment for more fluid movement and comfort, a diversity of building types, and thoughtful design to ensure a sustainable urban environment and society.
 
Soft City begins with the big ideas of happiness and quality of life, and then shows how they are tied to the way we live. The heart of the book is highly visual and shows the building blocks for neighborhoods: building types and their organization and orientation; how we can get along as we get around a city; and living with the weather. As every citizen deals with the reality of a changing climate, Soft City explores how the built environment can adapt and respond.
 
Soft City offers inspiration, ideas, and guidance for anyone interested in city building. Sim shows how to make any city more efficient, more livable, and better connected to the environment.
 
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    256 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Island Press
  4. Publication date
    August 20, 2019
  5. Dimensions
    8 x 1.1 x 10.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1642830186
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1642830187
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Rather than a book you sit down and read, Soft City is a book that invites you to explore what it has to offer. It is highly visual, filled with primary colours, useful case studies, original ideas, inspiring photographs, and helpful graphics. As such, it is highly recommended that you forgo the e-book version and get yourself a physical copy." ― Spacing

"A fantastic book... a well-written and above all well-designed handbook for city makers who strive for sustainable and inclusive cities with a mix of functions, slow traffic and higher densities." ― Urban Springtime

"David Sim...has written a wholly accessible guide to the Gehl philosophy...this modest, engaging book outlines why smaller is beautiful for the urban realm...a passionate polemic."  ― Geographical

"Soft City is an engaging and visually interesting book for those interested in creating a more human urban landscape...Sim provides a passionate and updated appeal for a messier, more complex, and more human urban experience. He places people at the center of their own urban story, urging us not to retreat into the isolation of our high-rise apartments but rather to seek and build communities that nurture and enrich our lives together." ― Carolina Planning Journal

"Its value is in the numerous examples, clearly presented and illustrated, and as a useful source for students and professionals." ― Urban Design Group

"In Soft City, David Sim draws from his great experience working on projects on all continents and in all cultures. You will benefit from his outstanding ability to see, to observe, and to reflect upon the scenes from life and cities. Soft City is an important addition to the growing literature on people-friendly architecture and city planning. Indeed, architecture and city planning need to be quite a bit more soft. Here is a good place to start." -- Adapted from the foreword by Jan Gehl

Book Description

A visual and clear guide to building better density to create happier, more livable cities.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Island Press; Illustrated edition (August 20, 2019)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1642830186
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1642830187
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.7 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8 x 1.1 x 10.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 217 ratings

About the author

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David Sim

David Sim

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David Sim is an urbanist and an optimist. He is creative problem-solver who believes passionately in the potential of people and their places. Whether it’s a sprawling metropolis or an isolated village, a plan or a process, David uses his detective-like skills to get to the core of the challenge and his seemingly endless artistic energy to find appropriate solutions.

A childhood playing only with Lego gave David notions of architecture and Danish-ness. He first heard Jan Gehl’s lectures as a 19-year-old architecture student at Edinburgh College of Art in his native Scotland, an experience that changed his life, taking him to Scandinavia and a lifetime of service, devoted to making better places for people.

Balancing his own considerable personal know-how with a reverence for the professional and personal experience of others, David’s main activities include developing Masterplanning Frameworks and urban design, applying Jan Gehl’s theories to all scales of projects on all five continents.

David’s recent work includes the Central City Recovery Plan for Christchurch, New Zealand after the devastating earthquake of 2011 and the plan for An Camas Mòr in the Scottish Highlands, the first new town to be given planning permission in a national park.

Comfortably switching languages mid-sentence, David is natural communicator, eager to share his knowledge with others. He has taught at architecture and design schools all over the world. His work changing the way architecture is taught at Lund University in Sweden led to a number of awards and distinctions. David Sim is Creative Director at Gehl based in Copenhagen.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
217 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Julie A Still
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Pictures
Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2023
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Great pictures and diagrams which really help depict the concepts well. Well written.
One person found this helpful
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noah
5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic book written and designed for the reader
Reviewed in the United States on June 4, 2020
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Soft City is easy to read, entertaining, and very informative. It offers specific techniques for creating a dense yet accommodating urban environment and explains why this approach is the ideal one. In the process, it provides a vast array of photographs and artistic drawings to deepen readers' understanding of the main ideas. So far, one of my favorite urban planning books.
5 people found this helpful
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Le Chateau Medispa & Beauty
5.0 out of 5 stars Easy way to learn about urbanism
Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2021
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I really liked the way this book is written. It has simple examples of actual practical ways to improve our cities.
This book inspired me to learn more about this subject
3 people found this helpful
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seth
5.0 out of 5 stars Urbanist's Dream
Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2020
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A must read for any lover of cities and what makes them great! David Sim does an incredible job of outlining and illustrating the best aspects of the built form.
2 people found this helpful
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OnoltGanbat
5.0 out of 5 stars thnaks
Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2020
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thanks
2 people found this helpful
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Emma
5.0 out of 5 stars Immerse yourself in why European cities are so amazing
Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2020
As an American, I always am incredibly jeolous of the livability and richness of European cities. This book does an incredible job of immersing the reader in the subtle and simple dynamics that make this possible. I love how this book is not text heavy, rather lots of photos and beautiful graphics make this an incredible read, even for urban planning/human-centered design novices. We in North America have so much to lean about good, human-scaled city building.
3 people found this helpful
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Christopher G. Parker
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinatingly simple and clear book
Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2020
This book looks at urban design for the future. The examples used are real world and a mix of illustration and pictures. Through these examples and the accessible writing it becomes clear how cities can evolve to meet housing needs, commercial viability and social and cultural vitality. All of that is based upon a recognition of climate adaptable layouts and form.
2 people found this helpful
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AthosPerihelion
5.0 out of 5 stars Sim’s city
Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2020
Clearly should’ve been called Sim’s City
4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Barefoot shoes user
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful illustrations
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 5, 2024
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It’s a pleasure to open this book. Beautifully illustrations and text to accompany. Easy read and comprehensive. Amazing book.
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Cliente de Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars Soft City
Reviewed in Mexico on March 14, 2020
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Excelente y a tiempo para leerlo
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Sonia
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing urban design book
Reviewed in Canada on November 12, 2019
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I am an architecture student who has slowly becoming more and more interested in urban design. I couldn't wait to buy this book and was not disappointed when I received it. There are many case studies, original ideas, and useful useful and pleasing graphics that I know will come in handy in future projects. I have not read the book start to finish, but rather refer to various sections when the need arises. It's more of a rule of thumb, or a handbook, rather than a book to sit down and read all the way through. One thing to note is that this book focuses mainly on European cities as case studies, particularly Copenhagen.
3 people found this helpful
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Martin Martinsson
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book about Urbanism
Reviewed in Germany on October 1, 2019
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Fantastic book about urbanism and city planning. A must read for everyone working with urbansim, or for anyone who is simply interested in the subject. David Sim has written a great guide explaining the essence of public life and how, by following a simple set or rules, you can achieve the best out of your own project.
David Sim explains how easy it is to do high quality urban life, that it will become a mystery why so much of our newly build environment is so bad! If every architect would read this book the future is a brighter place!
One person found this helpful
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Falgun Thakore
5.0 out of 5 stars Wake up call for North America
Reviewed in Canada on July 7, 2022
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A must-have for urban planners and anyone interested in learning the right way of city planning and not following the current urban car infested sprawl that is north america. Great insights backed up by facts, studies and surveys. Amazing
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Falgun Thakore
5.0 out of 5 stars Wake up call for North America
Reviewed in Canada on July 7, 2022
A must-have for urban planners and anyone interested in learning the right way of city planning and not following the current urban car infested sprawl that is north america. Great insights backed up by facts, studies and surveys. Amazing
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One person found this helpful
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