Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
The 99% Invisible City
The 99% Invisible City: A Field Guide to the Hidden World of Everyday Design | Roman Mars, Kurt Kohlstedt
42 posts | 6 read | 3 reading | 10 to read
A beautifully designed guidebook to the unnoticed yet essential elements of our cities, from the creators of the wildly popular 99% Invisible podcast Have you ever wondered what those bright, squiggly graffiti marks on the sidewalk mean? Or stopped to consider why you don't see metal fire escapes on new buildings? Or pondered the story behind those dancing inflatable figures in car dealerships? 99% Invisible is a big-ideas podcast about small-seeming things, revealing stories baked into the buildings we inhabit, the streets we drive, and the sidewalks we traverse. The show celebrates design and architecture in all of its functional glory and accidental absurdity, with intriguing tales of both designers and the people impacted by their designs. Now, in The 99% Invisible City: A Field Guide to Hidden World of Everyday Design, host Roman Mars and coauthor Kurt Kohlstedt zoom in on the various elements that make our cities work, exploring the origins and other fascinating stories behind everything from power grids and fire escapes to drinking fountains and street signs. With deeply researched entries and beautiful line drawings throughout, The 99% Invisible City will captivate devoted fans of the show and anyone curious about design, urban environments, and the unsung marvels of the world around them.
Amazon Indiebound Barnes and Noble WorldCat Goodreads LibraryThing
Pick icon
100%
blurb
Maria514626
post image

This book is full of fascinating—and sometimes funny—stories like this. Manhole covers, the strange symbols you see painted on streets, electrical substations—why are they presented like they are? And why don‘t we see them? Why do we have drinking fountains?

Each story is only a few pages, making it easy to pick up and put down. But once reading, I don‘t want to put it down. 😄

Daisey This sounds truly fascinating! Stacked! 2y
mabell Infrastructural schadenfreude 😂😂 2y
Maria514626 @Daisey It‘s such a fun read! The audio is great, too. 2y
18 likes1 stack add3 comments
blurb
xicanti
post image

I want to be able to finish my audiobook tomorrow, so I needed some more audio time today. Enter my fox mittens, which now have proper cuffs and zero loose ends!

The book is interesting as a survey text and I‘ve learned a lot, but there are definitely places where I want more detail. I often feel like Mars has just started a topic before BOOM! He‘s on to the next bit. #audioknitting

merelybookish Adorable! 2y
Tamra So cute! 2y
DinoMom Gorgeous 2y
See All 12 Comments
quietjenn Those are awesome! 2y
Ruthiella Beautiful 🤩 2y
squirrelbrain So cute! 🦊 2y
xicanti @Ruthiella @squirrelbrain thanks! I‘m excited to start wearing them. 2y
sarahbellum So lovely! 😍 2y
xicanti @sarahbellum as soon as I saw this pattern, I knew I had to make it. 2y
Maria514626 Gorgeous! 🎉🎉🎉 2y
39 likes12 comments
blurb
keithmalek
post image

quote
keithmalek
post image

quote
keithmalek
post image

quote
keithmalek
post image

quote
keithmalek
post image

quote
keithmalek
post image

Of course, he did. Fucking piece of shit!

quote
keithmalek
post image

Route names (3 of 3)

quote
keithmalek
post image

Route names, continued.

quote
keithmalek
post image

(Continued)...side.

quote
keithmalek
post image

quote
keithmalek
post image

I don't know why he didn't capitalize nightmare island or termination point, but I found this interesting.

quote
keithmalek
post image

(Continued)...ones with the numeral eight (which sounds like "prosperity" in Chinese) sell at a 2.5% premium, which may sound small but can add up to tens of thousands of dollars.

quote
keithmalek
post image

quote
keithmalek
post image

(Continued)...with the choice skip over the revolving doors in favor of adjacent swinging ones. For some users, a revolving door compartment can feel cramped and awkward. For others, including people with disabilities or anyone pushing a stroller or carrying bags, these spaces can be physically difficult to navigate.

quote
keithmalek

Historically, the side of the road that people walk, drive, or ride on has varied and shifted. When horseback was a primary mode of transit, people usually rode on the left side so their right hand remained free to greet or attack oncoming riders, depending on what the situation called for.

quote
keithmalek
post image

blurb
keithmalek
post image

These concrete barriers that you see along highways started out in California, but they were vastly improved upon in New Jersey, and are now referred to as Jersey barriers.

quote
keithmalek
post image

quote
keithmalek
post image

quote
keithmalek
post image

ManyWordsLater Fascinating! 3y
7 likes1 comment
quote
keithmalek
post image

quote
keithmalek
post image

Suet624 I always breathe a big sigh of relief when I return home to Vermont. No billboards, only beautiful fields and mountains. (edited) 3y
6 likes1 comment
quote
keithmalek
post image

quote
keithmalek
post image

quote
keithmalek
post image

"Hide the lightbulbs, Honey! The electric guy is here!"

quote
keithmalek

Desire paths emerge when people trample on the grass to cut a route to the place they want to go when urban planners have failed to provide a designated walkway. Most of the desire paths you encounter in a city trace the shortest distance between two points, often to cut corners, but many others are there just because people want to take a path less traveled. (Continued in comments)

keithmalek (Continued) Once it's created, it often becomes self-reinforcing: others begin following these newly formed routes, which increases their visibility and perpetuates their usage.
3y
4 likes1 comment
quote
keithmalek
post image

quote
keithmalek
post image

Thomassons: As cities change, sometimes useless remnants are left behind. Some are demolished, but others persist, and some are even actively cleaned and repaired despite no longer serving their original purpose. A Japanese artist dubbed them "Thomassons," referencing a baseball player whose career took a turn-- leaving him well paid but mostly on the bench--useless, but well-maintained.

quote
keithmalek
post image

Anchor plates: Small metal circles, squares, and stars affixed to building exteriors are visible parts of wall anchoring systems designed to hold old buildings together and to prevent bricks from falling off of facades

blurb
ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled
post image

I think I‘m really going to love this book.

Tamra I gifted this to my husband for Xmas and he still hasn‘t cracked it open. It does sound really good. 3y
ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled @tamra I‘m listening to the audiobook but borrowed a physical copy from the library for the illustrations. Tell him it‘s good! 😆 3y
45 likes2 comments
blurb
EBJoAnn
post image

Halfway through this book. I love seeing things bought up in the book in my city

EmmaMarie Neat! 4y
EBJoAnn Now if I comment on this do you get notified again? 4y
3 comments
review
Nitpickyabouttrains
post image
Pickpick

A short look at a lot of the things most people don‘t think about in a City. As a civil engineer, a lot of it I knew. But it was cool to look at it from this perspective.

review
NotoriousMBG
post image
Pickpick

Based in part on the wildly successful podcast, 99% Invisible, this book will make you take notice of design detail that most of us just pass by in any city. I have the hardcover (which is gorgeous), but I checked out the audio from the library so I could listen to the bonus episode of the podcast, plus an interview with Roman Mars. It‘s a great listen. Highly recommended!

blurb
nocto
post image

I‘ve dipped into the 99% invisible podcast & blog from time to time and am loving this book. All kinds of interesting stuff about the things that often don‘t get noticed in cities. A Christmas present, as was the toffee vodka. 📖🥃

blurb
RaeLovesToRead
post image

My Xmas present to myself (MORE BOOKS!!!!!!) arrived. Woop woop.

@Caroline2 thanks for posting about Ex Libris... it's a super gorgeous volume and I can't wait to read it... thanks for the recommendation! Books about books are a particular favourite thing of mine.

Caroline2 You‘re welcome. 😀 I‘m so glad you like it. It‘s really lovely to look at and I can‘t wait to read it next year. I‘m planning on a chapter a week maybe. 🤔 4y
RaeLovesToRead @Caroline2 I LOVE it!!! Definitely a book to be savoured. I read the intro then got to the first book and realised it was on my shelf... so may even do a readalong... she includes a lot of books I'm excited to read! 4y
Caroline2 Ohhhh now that‘s a good idea!!!! 😯 👍 4y
RaeLovesToRead @Caroline2 plus an excuse to buy more books..... no Rae, no!! 4y
Caroline2 😆 Totally!!! 👍 4y
25 likes5 comments
review
Maude
post image
Pickpick

Fascinating audiobook!! I guess there is a podcast too (I'll definitely have to look it up) I just saw this on my library's homepage and thought I'd give it a try. I think anyone that enjoys Bill Bryon, Sam Kean or AJ Jacobs will enjoy this.

Kimberlone Love this podcast! Need to check out the book 4y
50 likes5 stack adds1 comment
quote
WanderingBookaneer
post image

Sace I just spewed coffee on myself. 4y
WanderingBookaneer Sorry, @Sace ! I chortled. 4y
83 likes2 comments
quote
WanderingBookaneer
post image

tpixie Interesting! 4y
Hooked_on_books I used to live on a court that based on this should have been a place. I always wondered how these were chosen. 4y
Soubhiville I had no idea there were different and detailed definitions for all of these. Cool! 4y
See All 6 Comments
Blaire I love his podcast and am looking forward to checking out this book. 4y
Blaire Also where I grew up there are crescents and bays. 4y
eraderneely And you‘ve just made my Christmas list one present easier! Dad, here you go! 4y
59 likes6 comments
blurb
Beccas
post image

I‘ve found the perfect bookmark for this book. Hopefully I can soon stop reading in podcast voice.

blurb
Lindy
post image

Books delivered from a local bookshop. It‘s literary festival season and I want to read everything I hear about. All the books!

LeahBergen Oooo! 👏🏻👏🏻 4y
Tanisha_A Lovely 🏵️ 4y
batsy Nice haul! I want to read The Honjin Murders, too! 4y
Lindy @LeahBergen @Tanisha_A @batsy I feel like I‘m catching up with other Littens now that I‘ve upped my book buying. 😉 4y
38 likes1 stack add4 comments