Re-reading The Culture of the Cities by L. Mumford

The excerpt proposed in the following is extracted from The Culture of Cities by Lewis Mumford. The book, published in 1938, is one of the major books from the longstanding activity by Mumford (1895-1990) and is a turning point in his research. The interest in the manuscript is still alive today 80 years after its first publication, thanks to the articulation of Mumford’s thought, overcoming the strict boundaries of disciplines. In his research and writings Mumford used the disciplinary approaches of sociology, urban planning, urban history – and geography. His methodology is nevertheless very close to geography. The “regional surveys” (started when Mumford was very young and inspired to the work of his mentor Patrick Geddes) used to be extended walks around the New York metropolitan area during which he would sketch and take notes