Six older books help set the stage for understanding that Texas take on modernism. Urban planning takes a backseat to discussions of architecture in most of these Texas books. A tiny minority of our state’s residents are old enough to recall the era that predated the modern Texas city. Before towers, freeways and, especially, air conditioning. Before top-rated universities, hospitals, museums and libraries. Before up-to-date restaurants, parks, theaters, festivals and concert halls. And well before all the digital technologies that make these modern things — and others — hang together t...