About

Architecture of Cities is an online resource about architecture, and how it’s shaped the cities we live in. By focusing on history, culture, and style, this site will explore the world of architecture and how it has changed over the past 2000+ years.

Our Goal

Through all of the writing on this website, we want to spread knowledge of architecture, buildings, and history. Below is a quote from one of the world’s first architects that exemplifies our mission:

“This resource does not show how architecture is composed, but teaches of the origin of the building art, how it was fostered, and how it made progress, step by step, until it reached its present perfection.” – Vitruvius, The Ten Books on Architecture, 15 BCE

City Histories

Our Cities articles focus on one particular city and attempt to tell the story of how its architecture has evolved over time.

For instance, Valencia, Zurich, and Bologna were all founded by the Romans as their empire expanded. In their infancy, all three of those cities, architecturally speaking, would have looked strikingly similar. But over time, factors such as language, climate, and conquest completely changed their identities.

Our City Histories articles will look at individual cities in a chronological way, listing the various civilizations and cultural shifts that lead to the city we see today. These articles are written in the first person and often give the opinions and ideas of the author. They are a great way to learn about a new place, and a fantastic read if you are planning on traveling somewhere new.

Styles

Our Styles articles each focus on one particular style from architectural history. This includes ancient styles, like Greek & Egyptian, and Medieval Styles like Gothic & Romanesque. These articles also focus on more modern styles, like Art Deco and Art Nouveau Architecture, which were popularized in the early 1900s.

Each “style” article provides examples of buildings built in that particular style. It also tells the history of each architectural style, and the important elements and characteristics that make that style unique.

Lists

Our List articles are designed to focus on interesting questions about buildings and architectural history. Such as, What are the strongest castles ever built? and what are some examples of Roman Amphitheaters, besides the Colosseum?

You, the Reader

We would like to personally thank you for taking the time to visit our website. Architecture of Cities is eager to spread knowledge and all of us greatly enjoy being able to write about subjects we are passionate about. A great deal of the work we generate comes from our readers, so please don’t hesitate to reach out and let us know if you have any suggestions for new articles, or have any recommendations for the site.

Thank you,

-The Architecture of Cities Team