The book examines the contributions that inhabited bridges have made to city life from the Middle Ages to the present day, and explores the role they could play in the future. The history and construction of major inhabited bridges across Europe and projects for North America are discussed in detail. In Europe these include Old London Bridge, the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, the Ponte di Rialto in Venice, and the Pont de Notre Dame in Paris, as well as contemporary projects by Richard Rogers, Alsop and Stormer, SITE, Morphosis, Mario Bellini, Bernard Tschumi and other leading architects. Early twentieth-century proposals for the USA include Mullgardt's skyscraper bridge for San Francisco, Hood's scheme for Manhatten, and Morgan's design for Chicago. One section of the book is devoted to the seven entries in a competition to design a habitable bridge for London, spanning the River Thames from Temple Gardens on the North Bank to the area in front of the London Televison Center on the South. All designs are well illustrated.