The Humane Metropolis People and Nature in the Twenty-first Century City / edited by Rutherford H. Platt.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Platt, Rutherford H.

Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Greenbelts--United States--Congresses.

Greenbelts.

City planning--United States--Congresses.

City planning.

Urban ecology (Sociology)--United States--Congresses.

Urban ecology (Sociology).

Genre:

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (341 p.)

Manufacture:

Baltimore, Md. : Project MUSE, 2012

Place of Publication:

Amherst : University of Massachusetts Press in association with Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, Cambridge, 2006.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Four-fifths of Americans now live in the nation's sprawling metropolitan areas, and half of the world's population is now classified as "urban." As cities become the dominant living evironment for humans, there is growing concern about how to make such places more habitable, more healthy and safe, more ecological, and more equitable--in short, more "humane." This book explores the prospects for a more humane metropolis through a series of essays and case studies that consider why and how urban places can be made greener and more amenable. Its point of departure is the legacy of William H. Whyte (1917-1999), one of America's most admired urban thinkers. From his eyrie high above Manhattan in the offices of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Whyte laid the foundation for today's "smart growth" and "new urbanist" movements with books such as The Last Landscape (1968). His passion for improving the habitability of cities and suburbs is reflected in the diverse grassroots urban design and regreening strategies discussed in this volume. Topics examined in this book include urban and regional greenspaces, urban ecological restoration, social equity, and green design. Some of the contributors are recognized academic experts, while others offer direct practical knowledge of particular problems and initiatives. The editor's introduction and epilogue set the individual chapters in a broader context and suggest how the strategies described, if widely replicated, may help create more humane urban environments. In addition to Rutherford H. Platt, contributors to the volume include Carl Anthony, Thomas Balsley, Timothy Beatley, Eugenie L. Birch, Edward J. Blakely, Colin M. Cathcart, Steven E. Clemants, Christopher A. De Sousa, Steven N. Handel, Peter Harnik, Michael C. Houck, Jerold S. Kayden, Albert LaFarge, Andrew Light, Charles E. Little, Anne C. Lusk, Thalya Parilla, Deborah E. Popper, Frank J. Popper, Mary V. Rickel, Cynthia Rosenzweig, Robert L. Ryan, Laurin N. Sievert, Andrew G. Wiley-Schwartz, and Ann Louise Strong. Included in the back of the book is a DVD of a 22-minute film created by Ted White, which serves as a companion to the text.

Contents:

Title Page; Copyright Page; Contents; Acknowledgments; Introduction: Humanizing the Exploding Metropolis; Part I: "The Man Who Loved Cities"; Whyte on Whyte: A Walk in the City; Holly Whyte's Journalism of Place; The Energizer; Sowing the Seeds; The Wit and Wisdom of Holly Whyte; Part II: From City Parks to Regional Green Infrastructure; The Excellent City Park System: What Makes It Great and How to Get There; The Role of Place Attachment in Sustaining Urban Parks; Respecting Nature's Design in Metropolitan Portland, Oregon; Promoting Health and Fitness through Urban Design

A Metropolitan New York Biosphere Reserve?Part III: Restoring Urban Nature: Projects and Process; Restoring Urban Ecology: The New York-New Jersey Metropolitan Area Experience; Urban Watershed Management: The Milwaukee River Experience; Green Futures for Industrial Brownfields; Ecological Citizenship: The Democratic Promise of Restoration; Part IV: A More Humane Metropolis for Whom?; Race, Poverty, and the Humane Metropolis; Fortress America: Separate and Not Equal; "The Organization Man" in the Twenty-first Century: An Urbanist View; Sustainability Programs in the South Bronx

Part V: Designing a More Humane MetropolisThe Smile Index; Zoning Incentives to Create Public Spaces: Lessons from New York City; Criteria for a Greener Metropolis; Building the Right Shade of Green; Green Urbanism in European Cities; Epilogue: Pathways to More Humane Urban Places; About the Authors

Notes:

Conference papers.

Includes bibliographical references.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-61376-151-1

1-281-10892-8

9786611108922

OCLC:

607828130