From warfare to welfare : defense intellectuals and urban problems in Cold War America / Jennifer S. Light.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Light, Jennifer S., 1971-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Urban policy--United States--History--20th century.

Urban policy.

Federal-city relations--United States--History--20th century.

Federal-city relations.

Technology and state--United States--History--20th century.

Technology and state.

National security--United States--History--20th century.

National security.

History.

United States.

United States--History--1945-.

Physical Description:

x, 287 pages : illustrations, map ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Baltimore : Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003.

Summary:

During the early decades of the cold war, large-scale investments in American defense and aerospace research and development spawned a variety of problem-solving techniques, technologies, and institutions. From systems analysis to reconnaissance satellites to think tanks, these innovations did not remain exclusive accessories of the defense establishment. Instead, they readily found civilian applications in both the private and public sector. City planning and management were no exception. Jennifer Light argues that the technologies and values of the cold war fundamentally shaped the history of postwar urban America."

Contents:

1 Planning for the Atomic Age: Creating a Community of Experts 10

Part I Command, Control, and Community

2 The City as a Communication System 35

3 Cybernetics and Urban Renewal 55

Part II Cities in the Space Age

4 Urban Intelligence Gathering 95

5 Moon-Shot Management for American Cities 124

Part III The Urban Crisis as National Security Crisis

6 Cable as a Cold War Technology 163

7 Wired Cities 195.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [239]-280) and index.

ISBN:

080187422X

OCLC:

51924188