The Regional City - Softcover

Calthorpe, Peter; Fulton, William

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1559637846 ISBN 13: 9781559637848

Publisher: Island Press, 2001

Synopsis

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 City offers 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.

About this title

About the Author

Peter Calthorpe is principal in the firm Calthorpe and Associates based in Berkeley, California. He is author of The Next American Metropolis (Princeton Architectural Press, 1993) and was named by Newsweek magazine as one of the twenty-five "innovators on the cutting edge" for his work redefining the models of urban and suburban growth in America.

William Fulton is president of Solimar Research Group, Inc., in Ventura, California and editor of the monthly newsletter the California Planning and Development Report. He is the author of three other books including theGuide to California Planning (Solano Press, 1991), and The Reluctant Metropolis (Solano Press, 1997).

From Library Journal

What does a good place to live in America look like? Is it a teeming city like New York, a stylish designer community like Seaside, FL, or an innovative if imperfect mid-sized city like Portland, OR? Our cities, warts and all, are generating more interest than has been seen in decades. In The Regional City, Calthorpe, a leader in the New Urbanism movement, and Fulton (The Reluctant Metropolis), president of Solimar Research Corp., take a more systemic approach to urban design than has been typical of New Urbanism, best known for creating planned communities. The authors are adamant that regional cooperation and coordination is essential to sustaining healthy cities and addressing complex urban problems. Modern cities are actually linked metropolitan regions concentric rings of often decaying inner cities, older suburbs, new suburbs, and once autonomous towns that have become part of the metropolis. Through regional planning, the links can be strengthened to create a coherent city with a sense of place. Written in accessible style, The Regional City outlines a framework for planning today's cities. Marshall criticizes New Urbanism for being more about style than substance, but he acknowledges that the more it recognizes the hard truths of regional planning, the more it can become a positive force. A journalist by trade, Marshall writes with wit, reason, and style, effectively driving home his well-researched premise that cities exist and evolve based on transportation systems, the building of wealth, and government guidance or misguidance. He offers few solutions to current urban problems, setting his sights on enlightening the reader about why and how cities evolve. Marshall cites the human craving for simple solutions to complex problems and makes it clear that when people come together to plan a regional city consciously, as they have in Portland, OR, difficult choices must be made. The Regional City is essential for academic collections supporting programs in urban planning, public administration, or architecture. How Cities Work is very strongly recommended for both academic and public libraries as an excellent resource on the history and future of American cities. Drew Harrington, Pacific Univ., Forest Grove, OR
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Island Press
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 1559637846
• ISBN 13: 9781559637848
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 328