Books reviewed in this article: Borden, Iain, Joe Kerr and Jane Rendell (eds.) with Alicia Pivaro The unknown city: contesting architecture and social space Coutard, Olivier (ed.) The governance of large technical systems Easterling, Keller Organization space: landscapes, highways, and houses in America Melosi, Martin V. The sanitary city: urban infrastructure in America from colonial times to the present