
Here is a clear and enthusiastic introduction to building methods from ancient time to the present day, illustrated throughout with line drawings. In addition, Mr. Salvadori discusses recent advances in science and technology that have had important effects on the planning and construction of buildings. B/W line drawings
- Information Rules - Carl Shapiro & Hal Varian
- Normal Accidents - Charles Perrow
- Why Buildings Stand Up: The Strength of Architecture - Mario Salvadori
- Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief - Jordan Peterson
- The Power Broker - Robert Caro
- Political Order and Political Decay - Francis Fukuyama
- The Creators - Daniel Boorstin
- The Square and the Tower - Niall Ferguson
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Salvadori
Why Buildings Stand Up (1980) and Why Buildings Fall Down (1992)
that are elementary enough to be read by anyone, without being at all superficial.
Why Buildings Fall Down includes a case study on a seemingly minor change during construction that caused a walkway to collapse once it was put in use.
At the risk of stating the obvious, these are focused on buildings rather than roads :-)
Why Buildings Stand Up: The Strength of Architecture
Why Buildings Fall Down: How Structures Fail