The Death and Life of Great American Cities A Book by Jane Jacobs www.amazon.com Dead citiesThe dishonest mask of pretended orderThe plan must anticipate all that is neededThe city's most vital organsEyes on the street+48 More 125 Best Architecture Books urbanismcities
Good design can copy Good design can copy. Attitudes to copying often make a round trip. A novice imitates without knowing it; next he tries consciously to be original; finally, he decides it's more important to be right than original. I think the greatest masters go on to achieve a kind of selflessness. They just want to get the right answer, and if part of the right answer has already been discovered by someone else, that's no reason not to use it. They're confident enough to take from anyone without feeling that their own vision will be lost in the process. Paul Graham, Taste for Makers Four stages of competence skill