Synopses & Reviews
A visionary developer and master planner, James Rouse was a key figure in the story of how and why the United States was built the way it was during the last half century. This engaging biography touches upon all aspects of Rouse's life.
Review
"James Rouse—realtor, visionary, philanthropist, and urbanist—comes to life on the pages of Joshua Olsen's biography." —Alexander Garvin, New York City Planning Commission, author, The American City: What Works, What Doesn't
Synopsis
Taking a closer look at James Rouse, a key figure in urban planning who had a profound influence on American developments, this biography explores the full scope of his life, work, and vision. Better Places, Better lives details Rouse's transformation from a 22-year-old upstart with an innovative plan to facilitate Baltimore's residential mortgages into a master planner and city builder celebrated on the cover of "Time magazine. This biography explores how the migration from city to suburb created a demand for community gathering places and how Rouse met that need by building the first enclosed mall. His vision of planned communities, his conception and creation of the festival marketplace, and his later campaign for affordable housing are examined. Rouse is shown as a leading force in new concepts and building types that affected a wide range of people, from city dwellers and suburbanites to young professionals and tourists. This is a story about the processes, the experiments, and the reactions to setbacks that accompany the act of creating something novel.
About the Author
Joshua Olsen is a Fulbright Scholar and graduate of Yale University. He works for a development company in Washington, DC.