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More copies of this ISBN:Building Suburbia: Green Fields and Urban Growth, 1820-2000by Dolores Hayden
Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:A lively history of the contested landscapes where the majority of Americans now live, Building Suburbia chronicles two centuries in the birth and development of America’s metropolitan regions. From rustic cottages reached by steamboat to big box stores at the exit ramps of eight-lane highways, Dolores Hayden defines seven eras of suburban development since 1820. An urban historian and architect, she portrays housewives and politicians as well as designers and builders making the decisions that have generated America’s diverse suburbs. Residents have sought home, nature, and community in suburbia. Developers have cherished different dreams, seeking profit from economies of scale and increased suburban densities, while lobbying local and federal government to reduce the risk of real estate speculation. Encompassing environmental controversies as well as the complexities of race, gender, and class, Hayden’s fascinating account will forever alter how we think about the communities we build and inhabit. Review:“A lively and informative overview of the American mania for suburban living. . . . Fascinating.” –Audubon Naturalist News Review:“Compelling and beautifully written. . . . It reads like a novel and at the same time offers an insightful social and political history of the rise of the suburbs in the United States. Hayden redefines the American Dream and critiques the rise of segregated housing and the isolated communities characteristic of the suburban landscape. There is no other book quite like this one because of its accessibility and breadth of scholarship.” –Setha M. Low, author of Behind the Gates: Life, Security, and the Pursuit of Happiness in Fortress America Review:“Wonderful–a great combination of human reaction and scholarly insight.” –Virginia McAlester, author of A Field Guide to American Houses Review:“Readable and revealing. . . . Insightful reading.” –Cape Cod Times Review:“Dolores Hayden is a unique urban pathfinder. She hunts down the relationships among popular aspirations, big urban players, and the everyday experience of domestic life. In this book she traces the history of our suburban metropolises, guiding the reader through seven easily recognized on-the-street patterns. The end of the history is now, when the government and private corporations anxiously push to maintain our cities of consumption. And yes, she has found a way leading from this dead end.” –Sam Bass Warner, Jr., author of Streetcar Suburbs Review:“Building Suburbia embraces the human desires that underlie two centuries of American suburban landscapes, even as it explains the myriad problems that ensued. It is only with this complex understanding that we, like Hayden herself, can imagine better patterns of suburban development, more equitable, sustainable, congenial, and beautiful.” –Gwendolyn Wright, author of Building the Dream: A Social History of Housing in America Review:“A fascinating book, as well as an important one.” –Tulsa World Review:“Hayden tours us through the familiar landscape of American suburbia and, with great verve, makes it more foreign–much more diverse, complex, and important.” –Lizabeth Cohen, author of A Consumers’ Republic About the AuthorDolores Hayden, an urban historian and architect, writes about American landscapes and the politics of design. She is a professor of architecture and American studies at Yale University. In addition to Building Suburbia, her books include A Field Guide to Sprawl and The Power of Place: Urban Landscapes as Public History. Hayden is also a poet whose work has appeared in The Yale Review, Southwest Review, The Kenyon Review, Verse Daily, and Michigan Quarterly Review. Her collection, American Yard, was published in 2004. Table of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgments Part One THE AMERICAN METROPOLITAN LANDSCAPE One: The Shapes of Suburbia Two: The Suburban City Part Two HISTORIC PATTERNS IN THE LANDSCAPE Three: Borderlands Four: Picturesque Enclaves Five: Streetcar Buildouts Six: Mail-Order and Self-Built Suburbs Seven: Sitcom Suburbs Eight: Edge Nodes Nine: Rural Fringes Part Three THE NEXT SUBURBS Ten: Nostalgia and Futurism Eleven: The Importance of Older Suburbs Notes Selected Bibliography Index What Our Readers Are SayingBe the first to add a comment for a chance to win!Product Details
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