Sustainable Cities in American Democracy : From Postwar Urbanism to a Civic Green New Deal / Carmen Sirianni.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Sirianni, Carmen, author.

Series:

Environment and Society Series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Urbanization--United States--History.

Urbanization.

Urbanization--Environmental aspects--United States.

Sustainable urban development--United States.

Sustainable urban development.

City planning--Environmental aspects--United States.

City planning.

City planning--United States--Citizen participation.

Urban policy--United States--Citizen participation.

Urban policy.

Urban ecology (Sociology)--United States.

Urban ecology (Sociology).

Community development, Urban--Environmental aspects--United States.

Community development, Urban.

Citizens' associations--United States.

Citizens' associations.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (1 online resource)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Lawrence, Kansas : University Press of Kansas, [2020]

Summary:

"In light of the growing climate crisis, the "sustainable city" has emerged as one of the key goals of both environmentalism and urbanism. Because the city is so central to economic development and greenhouse gas emissions, and because an ever-growing majority of the world's population now lives in cities, the question of how to make cities more sustainable and resilient in the face of climate change has become ever more urgent. The climate crisis thus poses a corresponding crisis of democracy, as cities rely on an array of civic associations, grassroots movements, democratic processes, and institutional systems to advance environmental justice. Sustainable Cities in American Democracy explores the history of these efforts to transform cities in the United States since World War II (1946-2016). Drawing on work in sociology, urban planning, public policy, and democratic theory, Carmen Sirianni examines how civic and professional associations, such as the League of Women Voters and the Natural Resources Defense Council, developed an institutional field of sustainable cities over a seventy-year period through battles over clean water, clean air, and land use. Over time these efforts resulted in new networks and associations that promoted smart growth, new urbanism, and community engagement. But despite this progress, the work of sustainability, like that of democracy, remains decidedly incomplete, as patterns of unequal power and unjust practices continue. The story of these messy, complex efforts to build environmentally resilient cities shows that society will not achieve greater sustainability without better democracy. As the climate crisis grows, we will need to learn the democratic lessons from the past in order to address the environmental challenges of the future"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Cover

Title Page

Copyright Page

Table of Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

List of Acronyms

1. The Sustainable City: Civic Action and Democratic Institutionalism

2. Urban Water and Air in the Early Postwar Decades: Movement and Settlement

3. Urban Land Conflicts and Professional Shifts

4. Biking, Walking, and Farming in Cities

5. Urban Rivers and Watersheds

6. Governance Pathways to Urban Sustainability

7. Framing and Enabling the Sustainable Cities Field

8. Democratic Resilience: Civic Action, Democratic Professionalism, and a Culture of Hope

Postscript: Toward a Civic Green New Deal

Notes

Index

Back Cover.

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

Includes index.

ISBN:

0-7006-2999-8

OCLC:

1240504473