This book is very deceiving. It is so well organized that I was lulled into thinking it could not possibly be that interesting. However, the more pages I turned, the more I was fascinated by this book. The scope of the book is any infrastructure needed to serve the city of New York. The book is a truly stunning achievement in information presentation. It is divided into six sections - Moving People, Moving Freight, Power, Communications, Keep it Clean, and The Future. Each section is color coded and the color theme is carried throughout the chapter with transition pages done in theme too.

Within each chapter nearly every facet of the topic is covered. For example subways, trains, sidewalks, planes, taxis, busses, and roads are covered in Moving People. Nearly every page is a gatefold lay out with information graphics spanning both pages. This is an interesting example of letting the pictures tell the story.

Editorially, there is a sharp focus on theme, style and layout. In the side notes, Ms Ascher thanks one of her staff who went to an Edward Tufte lecture and had great insights into how the information should be conveyed.

A great occasional book because each section can be read in small chunks.

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