BOOK REVIEWS
Books are important. CharacterTowns.org selects and discusses current publications and works from previous generations that still hold wisdom for contemporary city-building. The review also includes published reviews and Youtube links to discussions by or about the author. Books are selected from the attached Suggested Readings.
Citistates: How Urban America Can Prosper in a Competitive World by Neal R. Peirce with Curtis W. Johnson and John Stuart Hall
Summary. Peirce, Johnson and Hall resurrect a concept from the past, the concept of city-states with a history that starts with civilization itself, maybe 10,000 years ago. Their work is based on studies in many regional cities throughout the United States. The book highlights: Phoenix, Seattle, Baltimore, Owensboro, Dallas and St. Paul; concluding with “Citistate Guideposts”. The focus of the […]
City of the Century: the Epic of Chicago and the Making of America.
The City of the Century focuses on Chicago from “the founding” to “the fire” to “the fair” to the First World War; a period of extraordinary civic and business achievement in America and Chicago. The giants of industry were imbued with civic responsibility in addition to their private ambitions. The architects and city-builders established an […]
Community and the Politics of Place
Community and the Politics of Place by Daniel Kemmis [1990] reflects the authors orientation and base of thought coming from the perspective of a Montanan. He is a former elected official, city and state, an author and a thoughtful person with a sense of history and its relationship to contemporary politics. This short book is […]
Community Character: Principles for Design and Planning
Community Character: Principles for Design and Planning by Lane H. Kendig with Bret C. Keast, [Island Press, Washington, 187 pages, 2010] demonstrates that community character happens by design. Someone at some time had an idea for the essence of every character town and we are the benfeciaries of that forethought. Some towns that appear to be […]
Confessions of a Recovering Engineer: Transportation for a Strong Town
by Charles L. Marohn Jr. From the Back Cover, from Amazon… “The costs of the North American transportation system are too high—not just in money, but in time, safety, and quality of life. Most Americans sense the transportation system is working against rather than for them, that the money spent on transportation may temporarily address a […]
Creating a Vibrant City Center, Urban Design and Regeneration Principles
by Cy Paumier Creating a Vibrant City Center is a tour de force, a comprehensive discussion of the processes and products that lead to the creation of a great center of the city. His chapters Historical Perspective, Market Components and the many individual components of the city center are insightful and actionable as are his sections […]
Creative Placemaking
from Urban Land Institute Report Summary: Creative placemaking, or leveraging art and culture in tandem with great design, is a proven accelerator for real estate development projects. It creates a distinctive sense of place—culturally rich, engaging, and economically thriving—and attracts people. Creative placemaking can have a meaningful positive impact in low-income neighborhoods, along distressed commercial […]
Cycling for Sustainable Cities
Edited by Ralph Buehler and John Pucher, The MIT Press, 2021. “Cycling is the most sustainable means of urban travel, practical for most short- and medium-distance trips—commuting to and from work and school, shopping, visiting friends—as well as for recreation and exercise. Cycling promotes physical, social, and mental health, helps reduce car use, enhances mobility […]
Design Downtown For Women (Men Will Follow) by David Feehan, Drew McLellan, Sheila Grant, Carol Becker.
“Today, women in both business and leisure,have a critical influence on the success of a downtown area. What are the factors that should be considered when designing or re- inventing your downtown so that this important demographic feels welcome, safe and included? This book explores the factors that influence their desire to do business, travel […]
Design of Cities: Revised Edition by Edmund N. Bacon
Character town planning benefits from Mr. Bacon’s work. Design of Cities is the book one should read when starting a career in design, any kind of design, but building and city design in particular. And, even though “design” is the topic, Mr. Bacon’s Philadelphia experiences permeate the book and strengthen his story. Mr. Bacon was the […]
Designing Urban Corridors by Kirk R Bishop
The literature that addresses the needs of urban corridors is sparse. The classic study was authored in 1989 by Kirk R. Bishop: Designing Urban Corridors. The paucity of studies is indicative of the general neglect of the subject, which reflects the general neglect of the resource – the corridors themselves. Urban corridors in many communities are the blighted […]
Detroit, An American Autopsy.
Character towns, even small cities, can learn from Detroit. Detroit, An American Autopsy [2013] by Charlie LeDuff’s requires you to have an opinion about his city and its reason for continuing to be. Mr. LeDuff’s work reveals a heartbreaking story of his city. It was once the best place in America to live and raise […]
Developing Affordable Housing: A Practical Guide for Nonprofit Organizations by Bennett L. Hecht
Although the face of America and those who live in it have changed in the past decade, the need for decent, stable, and affordable housing has not. Recent studies confirm that decent, stable housing improves the ability of individuals to get and keep jobs, increases psychological well-being, and leads to better social behavior and school […]
Developing Sustainable Planned Communities
Developing Sustainable Planned Communities [2007] offers useful insights to small cities and towns about what features are important to communities of all types. The experience of planned communities is directly transferable to planning and development in existing small cities and towns. Edited by Jo Allen Gause, the primary authors of this collection of essays are […]
Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations by Alex Harris and Brett Harris
Education is too important to be left to the school board. Small cities and towns can and should be actively involved in the education of its children. Partnering with the schoolboard is essential. Involving the neighborhood organizations, the business community and the institutional sector of the city provides a holistic resource for the benefit of […]
Edmund N. Bacon, City Planner, Philadelphia, 1949-1970
Mr. Bacon was the distinguished executive director of the Philadelphia Planning Commission from 1949 until 1970. He is personally responsible for the resurrection and enhancement of this great American city. Mr. Bacon’s approach is to describe the forces and factors of design and then apply them to cities around the world, large and famous, small […]
Eyes on the Street: The Life of Jane Jacobs by Robert Kanigel
JANE JACOBS’S STREET SMARTS. What the urbanist and writer got so right about cities—and what she got wrong.By Adam Gopnik “Jacobs, in 1969: an ordinary mom who set out to protect the neighborhood. I got to talk to Jane Jacobs once, toward the end of her life, an interview that is mentioned, in its properly Lilliputian proportion, in Robert […]
For the Love of Cities, The Love Affair Between People and Their Places by Peter Kageyama
Cities and towns, especially those with character, are emotional experiences. We are initially confronted with their physical form, but the feelings, memories and aspirations associated with a special place are the real substance of a city. Peter Kageyama understands this and more as he expresses the feelings between people and the places they occupy. His […]
Government 3.0 – Next Generation Government Technology Infrastructure and Services by Adegboyega Ojo & Jeremy Millard
Keeping up with technology and its applications to municipal governance is a constant exercise. Books such as the Government 3.0 and periodicals enlighten the path. From Amazon… “Historically, technological change has had significant effect on the locus of administrative activity, cost of carrying out administrative tasks, the skill sets needed by officials to effectively function, […]
Hot, Flat and Crowded, Why We Need a Green Revolution – And How It Can Renew America by Thomas L. Friedman
A great summary of our situation; a challenge to the things we value and want to preserve. What confrontsus is a void. We have yet to re-state our fundamental values as a people in the post-Cold War period. We have yet tofind our next destination and the path towards it…and theworld is not waiting for us. […]
How America is Putting Itself Back Together by James and Deborah Fallows.
Published in The Atlantic, March 2016. The Tease. “Most Americans believe the country is going to hell. They’re wrong. What a three-year journey by single-engine plane reveals about reinvention and renewal – and about how the Second Gilded Age might end.” This is a great encouragement to those wanting to feel good about small-town America. […]
How Paris Became Paris; The Invention of the Modern City.
City planning has been a practiced art for centuries. How Paris Became Paris [2014] by Joan DeJean presents a fascinating story of transformation; a story so detailed and engaging that the workings of the invention process can be readily seen. The reigns of Henry IV, Louis XIII and Louis XIV from 1589 to 1715 combined for […]
How Small Towns and Cities Can Use Local Assets to Rebuild Their Economies
By the EPA Lessons From Successful Places Over time, all communities experience changes that affect the industries, technologies, and land use patterns that help form the foundation of their local economies. Economically resilient towns, cities, and regions adapt to changing conditions and even reinvent their economic bases if necessary. Even if the community has lost its […]
I Rode with the Ku Klux Klan by Stetson Kennedy
Stetson Kennedy, who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan six decades ago and exposed its secrets but was criticized for possibly exaggerating his exploits, died on Saturday. He was 94. His death, in hospice care near St. Augustine, Fla., was announced on his Web site. In the 1940s, Mr. Kennedy used the “Superman” radio show to […]
Index of Book Summaries [2021-present]
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Index of Book Summaries [2021-present]
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Index of Book Summaries [2021-present]
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Index of Book Summaries [2021-present]
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Index of Book Summaries [2021-present]
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Index of Book Summaries [2021-present]
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