The slim booklet 'The Rape of Cities' reprints a speech given by Vincent van Rossem upon acceptance of the post of professor of monuments and urban issues of the period since the 19th century, in particular the city of Amsterdam, at the University of Amsterdam in 2009.

Van Rossem addresses the tendency of European architects and urbanists to view the ravages of war as a unique opportunity to push forward with radical new plans, pointing to the unprecedented destruction of many cities during and in the wake of WWII.

The slim booklet 'The Rape of Cities' reprints a speech given by Vincent van Rossem upon acceptance of the post of professor of monuments and urban issues of the period since the 19th century, in particular the city of Amsterdam, at the University of Amsterdam in 2009.

Van Rossem addresses the tendency of European architects and urbanists to view the ravages of war as a unique opportunity to push forward with radical new plans, pointing to the unprecedented destruction of many cities during and in the wake of WWII. It is an absorbing and critical look at the struggle for balance between preservation and renewal, in which Van Rossem delves deeply into Amsterdam’s unique history.