Ancient and modern styles of architecture, bold volumetric use of space, views of ineffable beauty: these are some of the things we experience when we explore metropolitan cities, large urban centres and small towns. Just as humanity succeeds in shaping and creating landscapes in the countryside through the art of farming, there exists a city art that expresses itself with both physical and immaterial means, in stones and institutions, as a product of ingenuity, human labour, artists, city planners, simple workers, inhabitants, and their political representatives. City art is the end result of an ideal and collective effort, as well as practical action in space, that is shaped by social groups as they evolve. This book helps the reader discover city art as a living expression of history, culture and creativity.

Raffaele Milani teaches Aesthetics at the University of Bologna and heads the City Research Laboratory at the same university’s Institute of Advanced Studies.