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chillcox15's review against another edition
4.0
A fascinating, informative broadside attack against suburban sprawl by some of the designers of planned communities that are built around the "traditional neighborhood" concepts that they espouse here. Some elements are definitely a sign of the time that the book was written, at the tail end of the 20th century, and there are some definite blindspots that the headstrong approach taken by the authors ignores, but hey, it's an ethos. Written clearly, argued strongly, this is a must read for anyone interested in planning and urban/community design.
stevenyenzer's review against another edition
4.0
Fantastic! I started this book not realizing that I had grown up in one of the communities planned by the authors and lived just down the street from another one. It was a pleasure to discover that the elements I appreciated in both of these neighborhoods were part of a deliberate design and in fact, a whole philosophy around urban planning.
mckinseyf's review against another edition
5.0
Fantastic book! A must read for anyone even a little bit interested in city planning, urbanism, American history, community building, geography, or what makes a place worth living.
A scathing indictment of American sprawl and terrible planning, Suburban Nation explains how the suburbs came to be and directly cause or exacerbate many of the worst problems of our time (e.g. physical and mental health, racism, income inequality, and environmental degradation). But it's not all doom and gloom. The authors often reference cities, both new and old, that are pushing back against sprawl using both traditional and innovative methods. The book also offers numerous ways to make changes, whether you're a city planner, policy maker, or concerned citizen.
Since this book was written in 2000, a lot of the statistics and information is likely out of date, but the core values and themes of this book are still true as ever. The supplementary pictures really helped to further explain some of the concepts - I only wish there were more of them.
A scathing indictment of American sprawl and terrible planning, Suburban Nation explains how the suburbs came to be and directly cause or exacerbate many of the worst problems of our time (e.g. physical and mental health, racism, income inequality, and environmental degradation). But it's not all doom and gloom. The authors often reference cities, both new and old, that are pushing back against sprawl using both traditional and innovative methods. The book also offers numerous ways to make changes, whether you're a city planner, policy maker, or concerned citizen.
Since this book was written in 2000, a lot of the statistics and information is likely out of date, but the core values and themes of this book are still true as ever. The supplementary pictures really helped to further explain some of the concepts - I only wish there were more of them.
icoltman7036's review against another edition
challenging
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
2.5
Doesn’t go in depth on any specific topic. Very broad. Just read Jane Jacobs and watch youtube videos lol
jupiterjens666's review against another edition
3.0
What went wrong with the built environment? Why are our cities bizarre dysfunctional dystopias where no one would ever want to live? A: CAPITALISM
Long answer: capitalism as expressed through the utter triumph of the automobile and how it rewrote the building codes and transformed our nation into a disjointed, isolated, broken nightmare state.
Long answer: capitalism as expressed through the utter triumph of the automobile and how it rewrote the building codes and transformed our nation into a disjointed, isolated, broken nightmare state.
gjfuelling's review against another edition
5.0
1. Read this
2. Become radicalized
3. Become my friend
4. ???
5. Profit
2. Become radicalized
3. Become my friend
4. ???
5. Profit
mjfmjfmjf's review against another edition
3.0
I first skimmed this book a long time back presumably in a bookstore in Seaside, FL. There's a lot to like here and a lot of good ideas. But a gripping read this was not.
Adjusting to living in a non-sprawl neighborhood as described in this book would take some doing for me. Though I can imagine that if I truly was giving up my car it'd be a lot easier to consider. Having not lived in an apartment (except for a short time in 2006) or an attached townhouse (since 1993), I've been quite happy to not have neighbors above or below or left or right of me. And in my current house I effectively have only one neighbor on one side.
And yet I buy the argument of why this needs to be different. In any case - I could imagine referring to this book again - but not rereading it.
Adjusting to living in a non-sprawl neighborhood as described in this book would take some doing for me. Though I can imagine that if I truly was giving up my car it'd be a lot easier to consider. Having not lived in an apartment (except for a short time in 2006) or an attached townhouse (since 1993), I've been quite happy to not have neighbors above or below or left or right of me. And in my current house I effectively have only one neighbor on one side.
And yet I buy the argument of why this needs to be different. In any case - I could imagine referring to this book again - but not rereading it.