Reclaiming the American West - Hardcover

Berger, Alan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 156898362X ISBN 13: 9781568983622

Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press, 2002

Synopsis

There are over 200,000 abandoned mines covering hundreds of thousands of acres in the western United States. Seen from the air, they create surreal, haunting, yet somehow beautiful landscapes of mind-boggling scale. But these scarred landscapes are only temporary: by law, mining companies are required to reclaim them, and the process of renewal exposes many physical, philosophical, technological, environmental, political, regulatory, and ethical issues.

Using aerial photography, maps, designs, charts, and analyses, Alan Berger provides a colorful and insightful overview of the possibilities-and dangers-of converting these altered landscapes. Reclaiming the American West covers the historical background and policy, as well as representational, technical, and design challenges presented by working with these enormous toxic sites, many of which have been converted into landscapes of extraordinary beauty. In addition, the book gives us an unprecedented vantage point above the sublime landscapes.

About this title

About the Author:

Alan Berger received his Masters of Landscape Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania. He is currently assistant professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture at the University of Colorado in Denver. He was the winner of the 2000 CELA inte

Review:

"Berger make(s) his audiences see landscape differently...he's an anti-Ansel Adams--he shows what every Sierra Club calendar leaves out." -- Chicago Reader. November 29, 2002

"Berger...has produced a stunning, sledgehammer of a book. He is interested in the implications of giant-sized landscapes (for designers)." -- Planning Magazine, January 2003

"The whole book is an aesthetic experience, from the layout to the superb photographs of disturbed lands ... unique and intriguing." -- Choice, March 2003

Berger's book is "a tremendously exciting and refreshing way of seeing things." -- Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, Chicago. November 20, 2002

About this edition

• Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 156898362X
• ISBN 13: 9781568983622
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 223