This revealing memoir by Aldo Rossi (1937--1997), one of the most visible and controversial figures ever on the international architecture scene, intermingles discussions of Rossi's architectural projects--including the major literary and artistic influences on his work--with his personal history. Drawn from notebooks Rossi kept beginning in 1971, these ruminations and reflections range from his obsession with theater to his concept of architecture as ritual. The book originally appeared as one of the landmark titles in the MIT Press's Oppositions Books series, but has been out of print for many years. This newly issued paperback reprint includes illustrations--photographs, evocative images, and a set of drawings of Rossi's major architectural projects prepared particularly for this publication--selected by the author himself to augment the text.

羅西在《城市建築》中的主要論點之一是強調建築在城市研究的重要性。他認為都市科學的研究基礎應該是具體的都市人為事實（fait urbain）而非空洞的抽象性概念。
由於「任何機能都得透過造型才能顯現，造型正是使都市人為事實得以存在的因素。造型的存在就像是一種足以辨認都市人為事實的元素。」城市造型便是建築，不過城市並不是所有建築物的總和：而是一個本身具有自己歷史的集體性營建客體。本身的歷史是根據明確的「美學意圖」所建構的。美學意圖經由建築師的創造而得以融入紀念性建築中。
「城市是自然與人為的交匯.....城市的形成與城市的造型同時涵蓋了生物的繁衍、有機的演化和美學的創造。城市不僅是自然的客體也是文化的主體：個體和群體：生活和夢想：是人類最偉大的創造。」李維史陀斯的這段話充分地反映出城市的複合性。
當我們以理性的科學的態度去面對城市的複合性時，強調功能效率的「工具」取代了反映美學意圖的「作品」之後，今天的城市以淪為交換價值的「商品」。對歷史定論主義的樊籠裡，或許可以為迷航途中辨認方向時提供具體的參照。