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The limitless city : a primer on the urban sprawl debate / Oliver Gillham ; aerial photographs by Alex S. MacLean.

Fine Arts Library HT384.U5 G55 2002
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Format:
Book
Author/Creator:
Gillham, Oliver.
Contributor:
MacLean, Alex S.
Language:
English
Subjects (All):
Cities and towns--United States--Growth.
Cities and towns.
Land subdivision.
United States.
Growth.
Metropolitan areas--United States.
Metropolitan areas.
Suburbs--United States.
Suburbs.
Land subdivision--United States.
Regional planning--United States.
Regional planning.
Physical Description:
xvi, 309 pages : illustrations, maps ; 26 cm
Place of Publication:
Washington, DC : Island Press, [2002]
Summary:
The Limitless City is an accessible examination of the predominant form of land use in the United States today -- the all-too familiar pattern of commercial and residential development known as sprawl. Oliver Gillham, an architect and planner with more than twenty-five years of experience in the field, considers the history and development of sprawl and examines current debates about the issue. The author argues that whether we like it or not, sprawl is here to stay, and only by understanding where it came from and why it developed will we be able to successfully address the problems it has created and is likely to create in the future.
Contents:
Part I Understanding Sprawl 1
Chapter 1 What Is Sprawl? 3
Characteristics and Indicators of Sprawl 3
Definition of Sprawl 8
What Makes Sprawl? 8
The Limitless City 17
Sprawl in Summary 22
Chapter 2 The Origins of Sprawl 25
Industrial Cities 25
Reform 26
The First Modern Suburbs 27
Automobiles and Roads 31
Post-War Suburban Expansion 36
Suburbanization and Cities 41
The Origins of Sprawl in Summary 45
Chapter 3 Reactions and Countertrends 47
Protesting the Highways 48
Cleaning up the Environment 52
The Importance of History 54
Resurgent Older Cities 57
Analyzing the Trends 61
Mounting Protest and Reaction 63
Reactions and Countertrends in Summary 65
Part II The Sprawl Debate 67
Chapter 4 Outlining the Debate 69
In Defense of Sprawl 69
Why Is There Any Debate? 71
The Charges Against Sprawl 75
Pro-Development 78
Untangling the Sprawl Brawl 79
Chapter 5 Land and Habitat 83
Vanishing Landscape? 83
Natural Habitat 89
Land and Habitat in Summary 91
Chapter 6 Transportation and Energy 93
Traffic 93
Energy Consumption 105
Transportation and Energy in Summary 111
Chapter 7 Pollution and Public Health 113
Air Quality 113
Water Quality 115
Public Health 118
Pollution and Public Health Summary 121
Chapter 8 Economics and Social Equity 123
The Economics of Sprawl 123
Social Divides and Cities 132
Economics and Social Equity in Summary 142
Chapter 9 Aesthetics and Community 143
Sprawl and Aesthetics 143
Community 148
Aesthetics and Community in Summary 151
Part III Searching for Alternatives 153
Chapter 10 Growth Management and Smart Growth 155
Growth Management 155
What is "Smart Growth"? 156
Smart Growth Measures 158
Growth Management and Smart Growth In Summary 160
Chapter 11 Preserving Open Space 161
The Importance of Open Space 161
Open-Space Conservation Programs 164
Growth Boundaries 172
The Downside of Open-Space Conservation 175
Preserving Open Space in Summary 176
Chapter 12 Changing Development Patterns 179
Compact, Mixed-Use Developments 179
Revitalizing Older Downtowns and Inner-Ring Suburbs 186
The Density Issue 197
Changing Development Patterns in Summary 199
Chapter 13 Viable Public Transportation 201
The Importance of Public Transportation 201
Local Public Transportation Initiatives 201
Metropolitan Transit Initiatives 202
Innovative Transit Technology 207
Barriers to Transit 208
The Land-Use Connection 209
Viable Public Transportation in Summary 210
Chapter 14 Regionalism 211
Expansion and Annexation 211
Recurrent Regionalism 212
Case Studies in Regionalism 215
Regionalism in Summary 234
Part IV The Future and Concluding Thoughts 237
Chapter 15 Thinking About the Future 239
The Prospects for Change 239
Technology and Cyberspace 239
A Picture of the Future 246
Thinking About the Future in Summary 250
The Suburban Pattern 251
A Willing Nation 251
Suburban Malaise 251
A Paradigm of Democracy 252
A Misuse of Resources 252
Increasing Pollution 252
Pushing for Transit 253
A Widening Gulf 253
Losing Open Space 254
Changing Growth Priorities 254
The Sprawl We Already Have 255
The Continuing Debate 256.
Notes:
Includes bibliographical references (pages 283-293) and index.
ISBN:
1559638338
OCLC:
48468894

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