In an attempt to make pastimes more enjoyable and intellectually productive for adults, Chronicle Books has published a stress relieving or stress-inducing (whichever way you look at it) coloring book titled Fantastic Cities, featuring intricate architectural illustrations of the most famous cities around the world. With 60 cities to fill in, from New York to Istanbul, Amsterdam to India, the activity requires a keen eye and good deal of patience on the part of painter.
The illustrations featured in Fantastic Cities can be appreciated as a standalone art without the need of pigments. The labyrinth of closely built homes, skyscrapers and chaotic urban jumble is hard to navigate at first glance, but after the first few strokes of colors are placed in, it turns into a fun experience. The book helps unleash the inner creative child in every adult. The challenging book, almost a square foot in size, takes a long time to color in the 60 pages, making the ending bittersweet for the adults patient enough to complete their artistic journey. Get the book here!
Great short film about the interplay between streets and the people that use them. Made by the Cities depatment at LSE it case studies the area around Rye Lane in Peckham, an area of South London near where I used to live.
While today is Halloween, it is also the UN World Cities Day. A day to celebrate what we love about cities, and think about the future of our urban spaces.
