As Dubai builds unprecedented realms of new luxury, other parts of the Middle East grapple with physical and symbolic histories. Relics come up against re-invention and revolution. And micro-mutations in Middle Eastern politics or economics have become part of our shared "local" news around the globe.
Brought to us by the publishers of "Bidoun," the critically acclaimed quarterly, "With/Without" is an anthology that casts an eye across the broader swathes of the Middle East today. Featuring an intriguing, mock-archival design, this equally text- and image-heavy publication is divided into 14 chapters, each of which takes on an architectural or institutional typology--the museum, the villa, the street, the skyscraper, etc.--and illustrates it with essays, interviews and documentary photographs. Featuring more than 30 contributions from writers, artists, designers and architects including Rem Koolhaas, Armin Linke and Keller Easterling, it takes on subjects as diverse as the redevelopment of Martyr's Square in Beirut; gated communities in Istanbul; Dubai's mall culture; bridge building in Mecca; and the creation of a new Iraqi flag in the post-Saddam era. The underlying question in all of these inquiries is: How do spaces and territories form fundamental ideas about individuals, communities, and worlds?

How has Berlin's urban landscape changed in its remarkable transformation from divided city to creative capital? Despite the monumental heritage and grand development projects, Berlin still conjures up images of urban fragmentation and vacant inner-city land. The book reveals the changing nature and complex politics of this open space. A rephotographing of sites between 2001 and 2016 shows how no man's land has made way for new apartments and underground hangouts have changed into commercial hubs, but it also transports us to remaining pockets of urban wilderness and unexpected freedom right next to the city's most iconic squares. The accompanying essays by noted urban thinkers explore this little-known but vital reserve-forcing us to reflect on our unrelenting efforts to chart the future of the city at large.

"Art and the City" explores the condition of public art in cities. Divided into two volumes shrinkwrapped together--one of color plates, the other of critical discussion--it includes works by artists such as Doug Aitken, Ai Weiwei, Los Carpinteros, Martin Creed, Frank Stella and Oscar Tuazon.