Stefan Al is a renowned architect and urban designer, as well as an expert and educator in urbanization and high-density cities. Among his many projects are his redesign of Opera Square in Cairo, Egypt, his design of the Canton Tower in Guangzhou, China, and his design of Art Square in Hong Kong, China. A native of the Netherlands, Al holds degrees from the Barcelona School of Architecture, the Delft University of Technology, University College London, and the University of California, Berkeley. From 2010–2012, he served as a professor and director of the Urban Design Program at the University of Hong Kong, and he has taught at the University of Pennsylvania since 2013. Al is the author of several books about architecture and urban design, such as The Factory Towns of South China: An Illustrated Guidebook (2012), Villages in the City: A Guide to South China’s Informal Settlements (2014), and Mall City: Hong Kong’s Dreamworlds of Consumption (2016). In his latest book, The Strip: Las Vegas and the Architecture of the American Dream, he applies his expertise in the urban structures of China to dissect the structures and function of the Las Vegas Strip.

Publishers Weekly Starred Review

"The Mall Isn't Dead—It's Just Changing"