In City Reborn: Architecture and Regeneration in London, from Bankside to Dulwich, renowned architecture writer and critic Kenneth Powell tells the story of one of Britain's most dynamic and successful areas of regeneration. While this architectural renaissance is evident most publicly along the south bank of the Thames , it extends throughout the borough of Southwark, Walworth to Peckham and from Bermondsey to Dulwich. Its impact can be seen in the creation of some of London 's most superb cultural venues, the revival of warehouses for residential and commercial use, and the generation of a wealth of stunning new – and already iconic – projects.

Beginning with a brief architectural history of the borough, from its origins as a suburb of Roman London, through the medieval and Tudor periods, to its rapid growth and later decline as a district of docks and industry from the eighteenth to the twentieth century, the focus moves to a local history of modern architecture, from the inter-war period to the present. The core the book then describes and illustrates more than forty-five key architectural projects that have been built in Southwark since 1980.

Arranged chronologically, these projects include such well-known riverside landmarks as Tate Modern, the Globe theatre and City Hall, and such diverse social and cultural projects as the extension to Dulwich Picture Gallery, Peckham Library and the Charter School in the south of the borough. Forthcoming projects are also included, raning from Renzo Piano's soaring Sahard of Glass' London Bridge Tower, to the child-scaled detailing of the Unicorn Theatre for Children – a clear signal that regeneration of the borough is a vibant force working both for business and for the local community, through the promotion of contemporary architecture.

City Reborn proides an inspirational survey for professionals and general readers alike, and an invaluable record of the reinvigoration of one of London 's most historic – and most forward-thinking-districts.

Kenneth Powell is an architecture critic, journalist and writer. He has published widely, including books on Norman Foster, Richard Rogers and John McAslan, as well as the books New London Architecture and New Architecture in Britain , both by Merrell. He was elected Honorary Fellow of the RIBA in 2000.