Books Every Designer Should Read
The four most important books to read as an equitable designer.
I'll continue to update this list periodically with new & important reads.
The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein
Brief Review: This book should be required reading in general but definitely for anyone working in Urban Planning and Urban Design. Rothstein walks through the history of redlining and historic housing policy in a clear, factual, heartbreaking-yet-interesting way. 10/10
Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez
Brief Review: Invisible Women was a mind opening and heartbreaking book about all the ways that society and data continue to fail women. We cannot fix gender gaps if we do not track them. That sounds very depressing, and don’t get me wrong, at times it was, however it was also very important. 10/10
The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs
Brief Review: Jane Jacobs was a journalist before she was an urbanist, because of this she’s an outstanding observer of urban spaces and human behavior. Jacobs simultaneously catches you up on the history of cities while opening up your senses to see urban spaces in a new way. 9/10
The Geography of Risk by Gilbert M Gaul
Brief Review: In an educational and sometimes haunting way, Gaul outlines the history of developing on the coast, the changing climate and its impacts to financial systems. Gaul traces specific circumstances that designers now work around down to pivotal moments in economic and political history. 9/10