Engineering the City: How Infrastructure Works, Projects and Principles for Beginners

by Richard Panchyk, Richard Panchyk

How does a city obtain water, gas, and electricity? Where do these services come from? How are they transported? The answer is infrastructure, or the inner, and sometimes invisible, workings of the city. Roads, railroads, bridges, telephone wires, and power lines are visible elements of the infrastructure; sewers, plumbing pipes, wires, tunnels, cables, and sometimes rails are usually buried underground or hidden behind walls. Engineering the City tells the fascinating story of infrastructure as it developed through history along with the growth of cities. Experiments, games, and construction diagrams show how these structures are built, how they work, and how they affect the environment of the city and the land outside it.

Genres: Urban Planning, Nonfiction, Engineering

129 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Richard Panchyk is the author or editor of 14 books on a diverse range of topics, including children's nonfiction (science, history, art, politics/government) and adult nonfiction (history and folklore). His works have been translated into four languages.

Among his books are the award-winning and bestselling World War II for Kids, which is available at bookstores and museum gift shops across the nation. This book is considered as one of the top books ever published for teaching kids ages 9 and up about the war, and is used in schools and by homeschoolers from New York to Alaska. It features a foreword from the 2008 Republican presidential nominee, John McCain.

He is also the author of the lavishly illustrated Galileo for Kids, featuring a foreword by the astronaut Buzz Aldrin.

To order autographed copies of any of his books, or for more information, you may contact the author at panchyk@yahoo.com.

Richard Panchyk's latest books are German New York City, published as part of the famous Images of America series by Arcadia and 101 Glimpses of Long Island's North Shore, published by The History Press.

German New York City is the first-ever major book to cover the story German population in one of the world's biggest cities. It features nearly 200 historic photographs.

101 Glimpses is a pocket-sized book offering a snapshot of different beautiful locales along the historic North Shore, and features a foreword by Thomas Suozzi.

Coming in 2009 - The Keys to American History, featuring more than 60 of America's most important documents and speeches.

Reviews

[Michael Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

expected a more technical approach. great for kids, but still good for adults.

[Trish Remley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bought this book for James when he was 11 or so. When going through books this winter, put it in my pile to read. Although I knew most everything in it, there were a few interesting facts I did learn. I can see how it would be an very good intro to these concepts for children including the experiments one can do to try out the principals. I recently asked James, now an electrical engineer, if he had read the book and he had!

[Eagle Watcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives a brief description of the history of infrastructure.