Reviews

Mapping Decline: St. Louis and the Fate of the American City by Colin Gordon

julieannie0729's review against another edition

5.0

This book should be handed to everyone in the St. Louis region. Moving from the rural parts of Missouri that eventually became suburban when the sprawl reached us, then moving into St. Louis’s city limits meant learning a lot about the city and its disinvestment. In the time it took me to read this book, my own personal and professional understanding evolved even beyond what I thought I had known. Reading this book again with fresh eyes, I’m overcome by how the city’s current state is no accident. While the book uses studies and maps to show data, it’s the haunting warnings of the past that I hear echoed in parts of city government that gave me a real understanding of the cycle we’re in. The book is plain in making its thesis known and while it could be all doom and gloom, it is hopeful that someone is listening and will maybe make better choices.

lmlanigan's review against another edition

4.0

Everyone should read this--especially St. Louisans. It amazes me how many people in Greater St. Louis--including my parents--look at the events surrounding the Mike Brown case & are shocked that St. Louis has any problems/issues regarding race, & furthermore, keep saying, over & over, that everything is "fine". Perhaps if people such as my parents read this book and learned that, in fact, things have never been "fine" regarding race, &, at least since after WWI (around the time the African-American population in St. Louis grew to sizable numbers), white St. Louisans have been trying to escape black St. Louisans, to the point at which white people are now escaping to exurban counties to further segregate themselves from black people. Unfortunately, people like my parents don't seem interested in educating themselves on these matters, but that doesn't mean I can't or won't, since I feel like there's a lot I don't know, & this book helps explain a lot of failed policies & old racially restrictive laws, among other stuff.

a_stalwart's review against another edition

5.0

This is required reading for anybody who cares about the Saint Louis metropolitan region. Gordon details the history of the metropolitan area from just past its peak in the early 1900s to today, illustrating how the decline is inextricably tied to St. Louis' persistent racism and fragmentation. We find that the city has been fighting many of the same battles for one hundred years now, with very little to show for the efforts.

This was a surprisingly easy read, so long as you don't mind being constantly reminded that everything is always more racist than you thought.