Nivola, Pietro S.

Laws of the landscape : how policies shape cities in Europe and America / Pietro S. Nivola.

Washington, D.C. : Brookings Institution, ©1999.

xiii, 126 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm.

Brookings metro series

Content Description 1. Introduction -- 2. Big and turbulent -- 3. The not-so-invisible hand -- 4. So what? -- 5. Shopworn solutions -- 6. Eight suggestions -- 7. Summing up.
Annotation Pointing out that suburban sprawl has been a concern for a long time and affects many countries besides the US, Nivola (governmental studies, Brookings Institution) considers whether it has been induced by the interventions of governments rather than merely long-standing and irreversible market forces, how much of the government intervention has been undesirable, and what changes in public policies make sense at this late date. Like the series in general his analysis is designed to help city officials make policy. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).
Annotation For decades, concerns have been raised about the consequences of relentless suburban expansion in the United States. But so far, government programs to control urban sprawl have had little effect in slowing it down, much less stopping it. In this book, Pietro S. Nivola raises important questions about the continued suburbanization of America: Is suburban growth just the result of market forces, or have government policies helped induce greater sprawl? How much of the government intervention has been undesirable, and what has been beneficial? And, if suburban growth is to be controlled, what changes in public policies would be not only effective, but practical? Nivola addresses these questions by comparing sprawling U.S. metropolitan areas to compact development patterns in Europe. He contrasts the effects of traditional urban programs, as well as "accidental urban policies" that have a profound if commonly unrecognized impact on cities, including national tax systems, energy conservation efforts, agricultural supports, and protection from international commerce. Nivola also takes a hard look at the traditional solutions of U.S. urban policy agenda involving core-area reconstruction projects, mass transit investments, "smart" growth controls, and metropolitan organizational rearrangements, and details the reasons why they often don't work. He concludes by recommending reforms for key U.S. policies--from taxes to transportation to federal regulations--based on the successes and failures of the European experience. Brookings Metropolitan Series.

0815760817 (pbk. ; alk. paper)
9780815760818 (pbk. ; alk. paper)

Cities and towns United States Growth.
Urbanization United States.
Suburbs United States.
Cities and towns Europe Growth.
Urbanization Europe.
Villes États-Unis Croissance.
Urbanisation États-Unis.
Banlieues États-Unis.
Villes Europe Croissance.
Urbanisation Europe.
Cities and towns Growth
Suburbs
Urbanization
Stedelijk beleid.
Urbanisatie.
urban development.
urbanization.
suburb.
urban planning.
urban traffic.
Villes Croissance.
développement urbain.
urbanisation.
banlieue.
aménagement urbain.
circulation urbaine.
desarrollo urbano.
urbanización.
suburbio.
planificación urbana.
circulación urbana.
Europe
United States
USA.
Western Europe.
Etats-Unis.
Europe occidentale.
Estados Unidos.
Europa Occidental.

Brookings metro series.

Location: Library main 217258
Call No.: HT384.U5 N5 1999
Status: Available