Journalist, gardener and author Gabriella Bennett is working on her next book, How to Build a City
“I’ve always been preoccupied with the idea of homemaking,” says Gabriella Bennett. That preoccupation has led the multi-hyphenate journalist — she penned The Art of Coorie — to her next book, How To Build A City: Dispatches from the Frontiers of Resilient Living.
Set to be published by Headline Books in 2026, she’s eager to delve into the subject matter, which explores housing in a new light. How to Build a City will take that preoccupation to the next level as I gain insight into some of the most remarkable homes on the planet and how they came to be,” she says.
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“The places I visit in this book promise a new kind of home: one that’s adaptable, resilient, democratic and beautiful. Rebuilding in the face of adversity is something I’ve long taken inspiration from and I’m excited to share my discoveries with readers”.
Over the next 15 months, Gabriella will be travelling the world in search of human resilience made solid in the form of architecture, exploring places like Helsinki’s bombproof city, termite mound-inspired office blocks made of mud in west Africa and villages on stilts designed to withstand floods in northern Denmark.
Each tackles a global crisis through architecture, whether that be environmental, social, financial or geopolitical.
The book promises to be an insightful and enlightening read, lending inspiration on what the future of housing could look like around the world.
This is the second book for Gabriella, who published the acclaimed lifestyle read The Art of Coorie in 2018 with Black & White Publishing.
In it, she explores what coorie is — from the Scots verb ‘to coorie up’ — and how it has helped nurture the astonishing creativity that Scotland is famed for, despite an often harsh and unforgiving climate.
Now used to describe how we want to feel and be, coorie covers all aspects of the way Scots live, and the book explores Scottishness and coorie through lifestyle, homes and interiors, traditions, and how to enjoy life despite challenging elements.
When will How to Build a City be released?
How to Build a City: Dispatches from the Frontiers of Resilient Living is due to be published in 2026 by Headline Books.
