Thomas Campanella: Cities from the Sky by

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Thomas Campanella: Cities from the Sky

by Thomas J. Campanella

Published by
Princeton Architectural Press.
127 pp. $50.00

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Cities from the Sky: An Aerial Portrait of America

Cities from the Sky: An Aerial Portrait of America features over 125 classic photographs that together form a definitive portrait of America's urban landscape.

Taken by the photographers of the Fairchild Aerial Survey company over a five-decade span, these images provide an intriguing record of U.S. cities in the boom years of the 20th century.

Charged by company founder and legendary American industrialist, aviator and inventor Sherman M. Fairchild to document nearly every corner of the United States, the Fairchild photographers produced maplike shots. Taken from high altitudes along with low-angle, raking views, these photos depict landmark buildings and news events in stunning detail.

About Thomas J. Campanella

Thomas J. Campanella is an urbanist and historian of the built environment, as well as a licensed pilot.

He holds a Ph.D. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he is now the lecturer in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning, and is a contributing writer at Wired magazine.

His writing has appeared in a variety of publications, including Architecture, Architectural Record, Metropolis, and Salon.

Harbor Freeway, Los Angelos, California — March 21, 1953

American Woolen Mills, Lawrence, Massachusetts — January 18, 1934

Inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt, U.S. Capitol, Washington, DC — March 4, 1933

Chicago River, Chicago, Illinois — April 6, 1931