The Boulevard Book: History, Evolution, Design of Multiway Boulevards

Jacobs, Allan B.; MacDonald, Elizabeth; Rofe, Yodan

ISBN 10: 0262600587 / ISBN 13: 9780262600583

Published by MIT Press, 2003

May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less. Seller Inventory # G0262600587I4N00

Synopsis:

A celebration of the multiway boulevard and an argument for its revival, with design guidelines and historic examples.

First built in Europe and grandly imported to the United States in the mid-nineteenth century, the classic multiway boulevard has been in decline for many years, victim of a narrowly focused approach to street design that views unencumbered vehicular traffic flow as the highest priority. The American preoccupation with destination and speed has made multiway boulevards increasingly rare as artifacts of the urban landscape. This book reintroduces the boulevard, tree-lined and with separate realms for through traffic and for slow-paced vehicular-pedestrian movement, as an important and often crucial feature of both historic and contemporary cities. It presents more than fifty boulevards—as varied as Avenue Montaigne, in Paris; C. G. Road, in Ahmedabad, India; and The Esplanade, in Chico, California—celebrating their usefulness and beauty. It discusses their history and evolution, the misconceptions that led to their near-demise in the United States, and their potential as a modern street type.

Based on wide research, The Boulevard Book examines the safety of these streets and offers design guidelines for professionals, scholars, and community decision makers. Extensive plans, cross sections, and perspective drawings permit visual comparisons. The book shows how multiway boulevards respond to many issues that are central to urban life, including livability, mobility, safety, interest, economic opportunity, mass transit, and open space.

About the Author: Allan B. Jacobs is Professor of City and Regional Planning at the University of California, Berkeley.

Elizabeth Macdonald is Assistant Professor in Urban Design at the University of California, Berkeley.

Yodan Rofé is Head of the City Planning Section in the Chief Architects Office of the Ministry of Construction and Housing in Jerusalem.

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Boulevard Book: History, Evolution, ...
Publisher: MIT Press
Publication Date: 2003
Binding: Paperback
Condition: Very Good
Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket