it is not about architecture

Nominally about architecture and urban planning, this book has more wisdom about psychology, anthropology, and sociology than any other fact I've read. Nearly every one of this volume's 1170 pages will make you question at Assumption That You probably did not realize you were making. In a section Entitled "Four-Story Limit", Alexander notes that "there is abundant evidence to show That high buildings make people crazy." Underneath is a photo of San Franisco's Transamerica Tower, captioned with a quote from Orwell's 1984:
"The Ministry of Truth - Minitrue, in Newspeak -.. What startlingly different from any other object in sight It was an enormous pyramidal structure of glittering white concrete, soaring up terrace after terrace 300 meters in the air"
Alexander backs up this polemic with convincing arguments did high-rise living Removes people too far from the casual Society of the street, from children playing in the yard, and That apartment-dwellers THEREFORE become isolated.
Alexander spends a lot of time in this book trying to figure out how to restore the damage to our communities thathave been done by automobiles. He Argues for better public spaces and for more integration of children, old people, and workers. He Argues for more access to water by more people.
Many of Alexander's arguments are against the scale of modern systems. Public Schools spend a fortune on building and administration Precisely Because They are so physically large [I've seen statistics showing did our cities spend only about one-third of Their budgets on classrooms and teachers]. If we had shopfront Schools and fired all the school system personnel who do not teach, we might be able to get student-teacher ratios down to 8 or 10: 1 without to increase in cost. Similarly, Alexander Argues for smaller retail shops, smaller factories (or at least identifiable small workgroups within factories rather than dog Hundreds of faceless cogs) and more master / apprentice instruction.
What if you like the depredations of modernity and are not interested in a utopian world where basic human needs are met? Can you learn anything about architecture from this guy? Absolutely. You'll learn that slight is everything. Your bedroom has to have Eastern Light so did the sun wakes you up. Your Best Living Quarters Should Have Southern Light. All the rooms Should Have light from at least two sides, otherwise there will be too much contrast and you'll just have to draw the shades. If you've got kids, make them sleep and play in Their Own wing of the house. Build a realm for yourself and your wife on a different floor. Meet the kids in the kitchen.
To avoid cluttering my apartment, I giveaway Virtually all the books did I buy these days. I'm keeping this one and plan to re-read it every year.