Synopses & Reviews
In the highly acclaimed andlt;Iandgt;The Geography of Nowhere,andlt;/Iandgt; James Howard Kunstler declared suburbia "a tragic landscape" and fueled a fierce debate over how we will live in twenty-first-century America. Here, Kunstler turns his discerning eye to urban life in America and beyond in dazzling excursions to classical Rome, the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan, Louis-Napoleon's Paris, the "gigantic hairball" that is contemporary Atlanta, the ludicrous spectacle of Las Vegas, and more. Seeking to discover what is constant and enduring in cities at their greatest, Kunstler explores how America got lost in suburban wilderness and locates pathways that might lead to civic revival. His authoritative tour is both a concise history of cities and a stunning critique of how they can aid or hinder social and civil progress. By turns dramatic and comic, andlt;Iandgt;The City in Mindandlt;/Iandgt; is an exceptional glimpse into the urban condition.
Review
"An absolutely brilliant collection of essays on cities
and why they do and don't work through time and around the globe." Kevin Baker, author of
Paradise Alley
Synopsis
The highly opinionated author of "The Geography of Nowhere" now turns his attention to eight cities here and abroad, issuing an engaging report on their state at the turn of the new century. 15 illustrations.
About the Author
andlt;Bandgt;James Howard Kunstlerandlt;/Bandgt; is the author of two previous nonfiction books, andlt;Iandgt;The Geography of Nowhereandlt;/Iandgt; and andlt;Iandgt;Home from Nowhere,andlt;/Iandgt; and eight novels. His articles appear regularly in andlt;Iandgt;The New York Times, Atlantic Monthly, Slate,andlt;/Iandgt; and andlt;Iandgt;Metropolis.andlt;/Iandgt;
Table of Contents
andlt;Bandgt;Contentsandlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Prefaceandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;PARISandlt;/Iandgt; The Achievements of Napoleon III and Georges Eugand#232;ne Haussmanandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;ATLANTAandlt;/Iandgt; Does Edge City Have a Future?andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;MEXICO CITYandlt;/Iandgt; The End of the World and Other Cataclysmsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;BERLINandlt;/Iandgt; The Paradoxes of Historyandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;LAS VEGASandlt;/Iandgt; Utopia of Clownsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;ROMEandlt;/Iandgt; In Search of the Classicalandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;BOSTONandlt;/Iandgt; Overcoming History and Modernismandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;LONDONandlt;/Iandgt; Landscape as the Cure for Citiesandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Notesandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Index