The consistent layout and good graphics make comparisons among the superblocks easy, even for those few that are found beyond China, such as Stuyvesant Town in New York and Les Tours Aillaud in Paris.

Similar data-heavy graphics reappear at the start of the chapters that follow the catalog, where timelines highlight important events related to each theme, and maps and architectural diagrams draw attention to considerations that range from the scale of the country down to individual projects. Along with the essays and other contributions, the overarching book is a lot to digest. People with a strong interest in Chinese urbanism are obviously the main audience for this book, and they should like it. --John Hill, A Daily Dose of Architecture
Jeffrey Johnson is the founding director of China Megacities Lab, an experimental research unit at the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, at Columbia University, where he also teaches.

Cressica Brazier is a researcher for China Lab@Columbia University GSAPP. Curator of the Liminal States Archive.