The Same Bench

Cities can be understood in many ways. The Same Bench brings together fifty perspectives on urban life, offering an accessible overview of how influential thinkers, past and present, have looked at the city. It draws on Jane Jacobs and Jan Gehl, alongside more recent work by Talja Blokland and Carlos Moreno.

The same bench connects questions of everyday encounters, movement, housing, power and belonging. Each lens combines a short explanation, an illustration and two questions to take outside. For people working in urban planning, housing, policy and urban development, for students, and for curious readers.