''The Architecture of the City'' ( it, L'architettura della città) is a seminal book of

urban design Urban design is an approach to the design of buildings and the spaces between them that focuses on specific design processes and outcomes. In addition to designing and shaping the physical features of towns, cities, and regional spaces, urban de ...

theory by the Italian architect

Aldo Rossi Aldo Rossi (3 May 1931 – 4 September 1997) was an Italian architect and designer who achieved international recognition in four distinct areas: architectural theory, drawing and design and also product design. He was one of the leading exponen ...

published in Padova in 1966. The book marks the shift from the urban doctrines of

modernism Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...

to a rediscovery of the traditional European city.

Background

In this book, Rossi criticizes the lack of understanding of the city in current architectural practice. He argues that a city must be studied and valued as something constructed over time; of particular interest are urban artifacts that withstand the passage of time. Rossi held that the city remembers its past (our "

collective memory Collective memory refers to the shared pool of memories, knowledge and information of a social group that is significantly associated with the group's identity. The English phrase "collective memory" and the equivalent French phrase "la mémoire c ...

"), and that we use that memory through monuments; that is, monuments give structure to the city. His book has been a major reference for the reconstruction of the city of

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

after the German reunification in 1990. An English translation has been published in 1982.

References

Architecture books Books about urbanism {{architecture-book-stub