the form of cities offers readers a considered theoretical introduction to the art of designing cities. it encourages them to go beyond abstract social science into the realm of human experience, aesthetics, and the creative process in order to understand why cities are how they are; and it demonstrates that cities are replete with symbolic values, collective memory, association, and conflict. the book reviews existing theoretical interpretations underpinning the subject and suggests a new understanding based in political economy. it then refines this approach, elaborating particular ways of conceptualising the city, whether through aesthetics or the prism of gender. the result is an engagingly written text, eschewing jargon but retaining a sophisticated interpretative edge.