As we saw the world transition to a majority urban population, the city became one of the most important spaces to study. I embarked on a simple research exercise to get a sense of the patterns that exist in different forms of urban settlement. I wanted to get a sense of shape, not of the macro, but the micro. I had a goal to study ten thousand cities, zooming into a single square kilometre in different areas of significance. World capitals, areas of conflict, informal settlements, fortresses, castles, markets, islands, and more. It was amazing to see the incredible ways in which we build and live. The shapes tell a story, as do the colours. Each square gives a sense of the block structure of city centers, while also cataloguing water resources, parks, roads and railways. The following is a collection of some of the most interesting studies I encountered.