no walk is wasted

an insight

No walk, as far as I am concerned, is ever wasted. In contrast, for example, to a car journey. In a city — especially one dominated by cars, by individualistic rather than collective, private rather than public modes of transport — it is walking that habitually makes me feel alive. It makes me feel both vitally connected to the city's ceaseless circuits of energy and, at the same time, delicately detached from them. Stimulant, then, and narcotic.

Matthew Beaumont, The Walker

new resources

• Magnetic City by Justin Davidson is an exploration of New York City’s history, culture, and architecture, blending personal anecdotes with a broader narrative about the city’s evolution.
• Kyoto: An Urban History of Japan’s Premodern Capital by Matthew Stavros examines the development of Kyoto from its foundation as Japan’s capital in 794 to its transformation into a cultural and political center. Stavros uses archaeological evidence and historical texts to explore how the city’s urban design, religious institutions, and aristocratic power shaped its growth and identity.

a snapshot

‍