What role does architecture and trade play in creating civilized societies? How can we create urban environments where the individual can flourish? These questions have taken on a new significance as COVID-19 has reshaped the way cities operate. This collection of essays examines the history of urbanism and trade in order to shed perspective on the future of the city. Nine contributors discuss how architecture, urban planning and trade have contributed to civility and political order. The authors cover historical topics from Florentine frescos and churches to ideas on citizenship and statehood from Rosseau, Hobbes and Machiavelli, as well as more contemporary issues such as the impact of global capital on the functioning of public space.

Contributors include: Yolande Barnes, Erica Benner, Anne Fairfax, Antony Molho, Kjell A. Nordström, Juliet Samuel, John Simpson, Nicholas Boys Smith and Maurizio Viroli.