Architects think about cities in metaphors - from the urban landscape and the urban palimpsest to the settlement cell or the city memory. While the significance of metaphors in creative processes has long been the focus of research in the sciences, it has been largely overlooked in architecture. Sonja Hnilica fills this gap: starting from a reading of the urban planning writings of Camillo Sitte, she examines the metaphors of prominent architects from Vitruvius to Rem Koolhaas, revealing a direct connection between city metaphors and architectural concepts. A fresh perspective on central traditions and controversies in urban discourse.