What are the elements of a research laboratory that studies urban questions? How might one systematize the study of cities? What does an urban model look like? To what extent can research on cities resemble methods in the natural and physical sciences? To what extend should it differ? And is it worthwhile pursuing a general theory of cities, planning or urban science? These are the questions that preoccupied the urban theorist, architect and intellectual, Manuel de Solà-Morales ( 1939-2012 ). I first came to read Manuel de Solà-Morales (MdSM) when I picked up his book The Ten Lessons on Barcelona - and it blew my mind. The book is based on his class lectures to architecture students, and it distills 10 fundamental lessons that Barcelona can teach us. It is a beautifully written account on the history and transformation of the city. Now I have the chance to understand his full body of work in a collection of essays carefully selected to represent his intellectual evolution and cont
Analysis and commentary on urban experiments in Barcelona