Theme parks, suburban sprawl, anonymous functional places such as airports and parking lots are real human spaces, contends Kolb (emeritus philosophy, Bates College). He argues that they must be measured in terms of their own new forms of connection rather than against classic hierarchical unities. The final section narrows the focus to suburban sprawl, which he defends against many (but not all) criticisms, and proposes policy changes to make suburbia more complex, just, and humane. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

People often bemoan the spread of malls, suburban strips, subdivisions, and other sprawling places in contemporary America. But are these places as bad as critics claim? In Sprawling Places, David Kolb questions widely held assumptions about our built environments.