Irreplaceable

How to Create Extraordinary Places That Bring People Together

Preview

Failed to add items

Sorry, we are unable to add the item because your shopping cart is already at capacity.

Add to basket failed.

Please try again later

Add to wishlist failed.

Please try again later

Remove from wishlist failed.

Please try again later

Adding to library failed

Please try again

Follow podcast failed

Unfollow podcast failed

Try Premium Plus free

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.

Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.

Access exclusive sales and deals.

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Irreplaceable

By: Kevin Ervin Kelley

Narrated by: Kevin Ervin Kelley

Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

About this listen

Do we still need physical places like grocery stores, restaurants, and office buildings? Or will the "Replacement Economy" led by the tech titans and retail giants wipe out these venues in their rapid ascent to unicorn status?

What about museums, universities, and performing arts venues? Considering the power of technology today, can't we replace these relics with faster, cheaper, and more efficient online tools, apps, and AI?

Through engaging storytelling, human behavior insights, and proven design techniques, Kevin Kelley—an attention architect and cofounder of Shook Kelley, a strategic design firm that pioneered the field of "convening"—unfolds why physical places are essential to civil society, business, and community.

In this book, he reveals what it takes for brick-and-mortar establishments to attract an audience and maintain a competitive edge in our increasingly digital world, whether you're a:

- Retail leader or institutional manager trying to attract people to your offering while keeping the disruptors at bay

- Student of design who values social facilitation over object-oriented design

- Concerned citizen worried about the loss of community and civility

Architecture

Most relevant

This book is on a subject that is close to my heart as an interior design professional, having spent many years working in the retail sector. Part of the discipline of design is paying attention to details and although the bulk of this book is thoughtful and insightful, I found it incredibly difficult to listen to because of the narrators insistence on pronouncing ‘escape’ as ‘eXscape’ - this is just wrong. Trying to absorb the thoughts and ideas of the book is unfortunately constantly interrupted by this jarring mispronunciation - I’ve tried but it became a bit like a torture just waiting for the next ‘eXscape’ to hit….I will try with the written version in the hope that at least the word is spelt correctly there.

Great subject, but one inescapable flaw…

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.