Book Description

Most Americans today do not live in discrete cities and towns, but rather in an aggregation of cities and suburbs that forms one basic economic, multi-cultural, environmental and civic entity. These "regional cities" have the potential to significantly improve the quality of our lives-to provide interconnected and diverse economic centers, transportation choices, and a variety of human-scale communities. In The Regional City, two of the most innovative thinkers in the field of land use planning and design offer a detailed look at this new metropolitan form and explain how regional-scale planning and design can help direct growth wisely and reverse current trends in land use. The authors:

• discuss the nature and underpinnings of this new metropolitan form

• present their view of the policies and physical design principles required for metropolitan areas to transform themselves into regional cities

• document the combination of physical design and social and economic policies that are being used across the country

• consider the main factors that are shaping metropolitan regions today,including the maturation of sprawling suburbs and the renewal of urban neighborhoods

Featuring full-color graphics and in-depth case studies, The Regional Cityoffers a thorough examination of the concept of regional planning along with examples of successful initiatives from around the country. It will be must reading for planners, architects, landscape architects, local officials, real estate developers, community development professionals, and for students in architecture, urban planning, and policy. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Community is not everything
This is yet another book on a New Urbanist idea.

This one describes the idea of transit oriented communties. These are relatively dense planned communities that try to maintain what is seen as the essentials of small community life.

The density and distribution of these communities make them amenable to public transport. However more emphasis is placed on the development of community. Shopping facilities are centralized and made accessible to pedestrians. Public buildings and public space like squares are made central to the life of the community. The public buildings are given distinguished architecture to show their importance to the community. The public park or square is placed at the hub of planned pedestrian traffic to provide a place for unplanned meetings and interactions.

As it is this soert of community will probably work. The idea of the public square at a transportation crossroads as a means to creatre interaction is straight out of Bill Hillier's seminal work 'Space is the machine.' With proper attention to the principles presented by Hillier, there is no reason why a community designed in the way advocated here cannot produce the types of interactions advocated within this book.

However the book does not go far enough to truly identify what these principles are or even to state clearly and directly what basic principles are guiding the plans that it advocates. It would be possible to create developments that follow the plans described here that would work against the outcomes that it is advocating. Hillier's book, in its analysis of some modern housing estates based on similar goals, demosntrates this.

Yet there is something fundamentally wrong with this book. It is a basic statement of architectural determinism. Traditional suburbs are blamed for all problems in society from environmental pollution to school shootings and possibly even to asteroid impacts causing mass extinctions. There seems to be nothing wrong in society that is not the fault of suburbs and that cannot be fixed by these pedestrian-based communities.

The author acknowleges that the autonomy and privacy provided by the suburban form is attractive to many. He even states that his suggested community form is not antithetical to it. However following that one statement the remainder of the book is a jerimiad against suburban life. Privacy and autonomy references are replaced with descriptions of isolation and alienation.

The book would be more convincing if it remained an advocacy for its desired form. There is no doubt that this form if designed properly can foster the close community life that many people find very attractive. However not all people are attracted to this sort of life. Many people prefer the social autonomy that is provided to them in suburbs. With modern communication mechanisms like the telephone, Email, automobile etc, they can maintain multiple social netowkrs each with the social distance that they find comfortable. They are not forced to interact with a neighbor that they do not care for simply because his residence is nearby.

All in all this is a good book for its purpose. The unfortunate blathering about the short comings of suburbs distracts from its main purpsoe and weakens its argument. However many will find the small community life presented here very attractive.

It is worth reading despite these handicaps.

forthcoming review in the NYTBR, February 18th
There is a very informative review by Suzannah Lessard in the February 18th issue of the New York Times Book Review. Not only does she provide interesting background to the issues surrounding urban growth in America, she also defines what these issues mean to us today, and the contribution this book makes to our understanding of the built world around us. ... Read more

Book Description

This book is a comprehensive introduction to urban economics in a global context. Structured by the key themes of urban economics-urban growth, housing, property investment and development-it applies different approaches to these themes in different regions of the world. ... Read more

Book Description

African Development Indicators 2004 provides the most detailed collection of data on Africa available in one volume. It contains more than 500 macroeconomic, sectoral, and social indicators, covering 53 African countries with data from 1970-2002. The book is grouped into 15 chapters: background data; national accounts; prices and exchange rates; money and banking; external sector; external debt and related flows; government finance; agriculture; power, communications, and transportation; public enterprises; labor force and employment; aid flows; social indicators; environmental indicators; and HIPC debt initiative.

Each chapter begins with a brief introduction on the nature of the data and their limitations, followed by a set of statistical tables, charts, and technical notes that define the indicators and identify their specific source. Included this year are new tables on HIV/AIDS, Communications and Transportation, and the HIPC Debt Initiative.

Designed to provide all those interested in Africa with a focused and convenient set of data to monitor development programs and aid flows in the region, this is an invaluable reference tools for analysts and policymakers who want a better understanding of the economic and social developments occurring in Africa. ... Read more

Book Description

The growth of regional trading blocs is now a major feature of international relations. Regional Integration and Development examines regionalism from the viewpoint of developing countries and provides a comprehensive account of existing economic theory and empirical results. In a thorough analysis of the politics and dynamics of regionalism, the book considers the relationship between regionalism and multilateralism and explores the economic advantages of nondiscriminatory trade liberalization, which the authors argue should be exploited to the maximum extent. Designed as a practical guide for policymakers whose countries are considering membership in a trade bloc, this book will also be of interest to scholars and students of international trade. ... Read more

Book Description

Retail giants and other agents of urban sprawl have devastated small town character and have helped produce a new wave of interest in participatory planning. Using a compelling and dramatic local case-study, the book analyzes the politics of land-use planning at the end of the twentieth century and provides a timely practical and theoretical vehicle through which scholars, community activists and policymakers alike can understand the actual terrain and terms of contestation. In examining the step-by-step process of environmental impact assessment in a local context, the authors realistically assess as well the obstacles to meaningful participatory democracy within structures established by the logic of the present liberal capitalist order. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A Must For Your Activist/Social Change Resource Shelf
At one time or another, all communities are likely to face attempts by powerful outside interests to contest the course of future community development. This book constitutes a detailed example of local mobilization that effectively used a thorough understanding of the formal procedural framework to successfully protect important community priorities and values and, in fact, the community's vision of itself.

Well-written, detailed story about community activism
This is a very well-written, detailed and incredibly thorough book about a successful effort by a group of activists and residents in a small community in New York State to battle a proposed construction of Wal-mart in their rural town. The book explains in detail the legal and practical aspects of the environmental review process in New YOrk State. It also explains legal and theoretical bases for appropriate and planned economic growth in a rural community. The book would be useful for community activists and environmentalists in any state that has similar statutes as SEQRA in NY State. I am thoroughly enjoying reading this book. ... Read more

Book Description

Regionalism in the Asia-Pacific is a complex, diverse, highly contested and still rapidly evolving phenomenon. Crucial to an understanding of this phenomenon is the relationship between globalization and regionalization, between states, markets and civil society, and between US hegemony and Asian aspirations.This volume, now available in paperback, the sequel to States, Markets and Civil Society in Asia Pacific, makes these interacting relationships the centerpiece of its analysis. It examines the multiple attempts at institutional innovation, especially over the last twenty years, by placing them in their geo-political, geo-economic and cultural contexts. ASEAN, the ASEAN Regional Forum, APEC, ASEAN+3, ASEM, sub-regional economic zones, KEDO, CSCAP and other organizations are surveyed not as ends in themselves but for what they tell us of shifting political, economic and normative trends in Asia-Pacific and beyond. ... Read more

Book Description

The highway has become the buyway.Along the millions of miles the public travels, advertisers spend billions on images of cola, cars, vodka, fast food, and swimming pools that blur past us, catching our fleeting attention and turning the landscape into a corridor of commerce.
A smart, succinct and visually compelling history of the billboard in America, Buyways traces how the outdoor advertising industry changed the face of American commercialism.Taking us from itinerant bill-stickers of circus posters in the 19th century to the blinking, beeping, 3-D eyesores of today, Gudis argues that roadside advertising has turned the landscape itself into a commodity to be bought and sold as advertising space.
Buyways vividly chronicles the battles between environmentalists and businessmen as well as the response of artists, from New Deal photographers who satirized the billboard-infested landscape to commercial artists who embraced the kitsch of it all.It also shows how advertisers tapped into the American mythology of the open road, promoting mobile consumption as the American Dream on four wheels.
Entertaining and brilliantly illustrated, Buyways is a vibrant road map of the new geography of consumption. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

An intriguing, original, seminal history of travel routes
Catherine Gudis' Buyways is a unique and intrinsically fascinating history of the advertising billboard industry in America. Of immense value for the academic study of American business history, Buyways is also highly recommended reding for travelers and non-specialist general readers interested in wayside advertising and highway history. From legal battles between environmentalists and business interests, to the involvement of artists and behvioral scientists in billboard presentation and design, Buyways provides an intriguing, original, seminal history of travel routes and advertising format choices. ... Read more

Book Description

This examination of the fiscal health of local governments offers a "how-to" approach to identifying and solving financial problems. It will serve as a primer for readers interested in understanding financial processes and alternatives, and as a practical guide for those who need access to fiscal measurement tools. Its principal selling point lies in its assumptions:instead of using the vocabulary and research agendas of economists (such as Musgrave, Fisher), finance scholars (Ladd/Yinger) and political scientists (Peterson/Strachota), it will appeal to readers who lack sophisticated knowledge in these areas and nevertheless need practical advice.

The book stems from the "Fiscal Health Education Program," an applied economics program at the University of Minnesota.It uses three measures of fiscal health-financial condition, trend analysis, and financial trend monitoring system-as the basis for advocating particular fiscal strategies. The book examines the tools that can be used to assess the condition of a local government's fiscal health and some of the policy causes or remedies for certain situations, as well as some of the strategies governments can pursue to maintain and improve health.

*How-to approach will appeal to readers who lack sophisticated knowledge
* Contains discussion questions and anonymous case studies of actual cities and municipalities
* Presents practical methods for identifying and solving common fiscal problems ... Read more

Book Description

Hardbound. This second volume of the Handbook presents professional surveys of all the important topics in urban economics. The first section contains 6 surveys on locational analysis, the second, 5 surveys of specific urban markets, and the third part presents 5 surveys of government policy issues. The book brings together exhaustive research by distinguished scholars from many countries. It is the only complete survey volume of urban economics and should serve as a reference volume to scholars and graduate students for many years. ... Read more

Book Description

Describes and interprets the history of water resource development and its relationship to urban development in Phoenix, Tucson, and Flagstaff. Kupel challenges many of the traditional assumptions of environmental history by revealing that the West's aridity has had relatively little impact on the development of municipal water infrastructure in these cities.He takes readers from the era of private water service to municipal ownership of utilities and shows that, while urban growth in the West is often characterized as the product of elite groups, the development of Arizona's cities reflect the broad aspirations of all their citizens. ... Read more

Book Description

The Southern Advantage details why doing business in the Southern U.S., which now ranks as the world's fourth-largest economy, creates competitive business advantages. This book tells Dixie's amazing story of progression from poverty to prosperity, presenting sound logic as to why you should consider moving your business and family to the South. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Book Undressing Many of the Myths about the South!
It's easy to fall into stereotypes, but this book provides a lucid education on the truth about the nation's economy and the Southern participation in it. Highly recommended!

The book is well-written so that anybody (even the non-economics types) can understand what is happening in today's economy and society. If you are deciding on a book that might really open your eyes and help you understand the nation's economy, then strongly consider this one! ... Read more

Book Description

This collection of 79 oral histories offers a remarkable window into public housing's past in Chicago through the voices of its former residents and staff. Public housing was once a "paradise" of good housing, positive community, and careful management--a past that offers a blueprint for public housing's future. As John Hope Franklin suggested, "Fuerst has given us something about which to ponder quite seriously." ... Read more

Book Description

Contributors consider six major themes: institutional planning structures and housing policies, land use and tenure, regulatory frameworks (including building codes and standards), housing alternatives and options for conservation and renewal, financial services for housing and urban development, and the construction industry. ... Read more

Book Description

Hardbound. This volume is a follow-up to the earlier Urban Economics, Volume 2 of Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics, edited by Edwin Mills. The earlier volume, published in 1987, focussed on urban economic theory. This new handbook, in contrast, focuses on applied urban research. The difference is of course in emphasis. The earlier volume was by no means entirely concerned with theoretical research and this one is by no means entirely concerned with applied research.

There have certainly been important theoretical developments during the last decade, and they are surveyed at appropriate places in this volume. However, there has been an outpouring of high quality applied research in urban economics, as in other specialties. The reasons for the rapid growth of applied research are not difficult to identify; improved theoretical frameworks within which to do applied research; improved econometric techniques and software; more and ... Read more

Book Description

While focusing on a particular bird of the Southwest, this book is really a field study of another rare species: the wildlife management professional. Through stories about his own experiences studying Merriam's wild turkey--anecdotes about the foibles of field work and the bureaucratic boondoggles of wildlife management--Shaw offers a sober and seasoned view of what managers are doing, and failing to do, in their efforts to protect the animals and landscapes that we love. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A multi-faceted study which goes beyond scientific theory
Merriam's turkey is a native Rocky Mountain subspecies and the subject of author Harley Shaw's intensive research. Stories of research biologist Harley Shaw's encounters with the wild turkey are supplemented by anecdotes about field work and wildlife management, providing a multi-faceted study which goes beyond scientific theory and observation alone. Stalking The Big Bird: A Tale Of Turkeys, Biologists, And Bureaucrats is enthusiastically recommended reading for sportsmen and wildlife environmentalists alike. ... Read more

Book Description

This is the first book of its kind to explore central city neighborhood economic structure in relation to demographic, socioeconomic, labor force, and housing variables. In The Economies of Central City Neighborhoods Bingham and Zhang examine the location of industry employment in a variety of producer and consumer-oriented industries in relation to major neighborhood characteristics such as demographic, labor force, socioeconomic, and housing variables. This study is informative and illuminating to central city revitalization/redevelopment planning and related efforts that often take place at the neighborhood level. In The Economies of Central City Neighborhoods Bingham and Zhang examine the location of industry employment in a variety of producer and consumer-oriented industries in relation to major neighborhood characteristics such as demographic, labor force, socioeconomic, and housing variables. While the primacy of poverty is an aspect of central city neighborhoods that drives the growth and decline of neighborhood economies, it implies the significance of effective intervention at early stages of neighborhood economic disintegration. Neighborhood cluster of industries suggests a direction of neighborhood redevelopment, and the pervasive spill-over effects of this necessitate the coordination among redevelopment initiatives of bordering neighborhoods. The research in this text contributes to the urban literature by providing an industry-by-industry analysis of the economies of central city sub-areas in Ohio. This study is informative and illuminating to central city revitalization/redevelopment planning and related efforts that often take place at the neighborhood level. ... Read more

Book Description

* The first book to tackle the complexities of sustainability assessment and provide practical solutions* Comprehensive analysis, guidance and criteria for impact assessment professionals and policy-makers at all levels and in all circumstances * Applicable to the new EU Strategic Environmental Assessment Directive and other international assessment systemsMany governments express commitments to sustainability, yet until now assessing sustainability in projects, plans, programs and policies has been largely limited to traditional environmental assessment (EA) with an imperfect attempt to staple on biophysical and socio-economic considerations. While traditional EA focuses on mitigating negative effects, achieving true sustainability demands that each new undertaking make a positive contribution to desirable and durable futures. This onerous goal can only be achieved if decision makers are able to consciously and publicly specify and use sustainability-centred criteria to justify options and to weigh trade-offs. Sustainability Assessment covers all aspects of the core requirements of sustainability including the creation of basic criteria, handling trade-offs, practicalities in application, implications for process design and uses in decision-making as well as examining the range of tools and innovative examples available to assist implementation of sustainability assessment. ... Read more