Main entry:

Gillham, Oliver.

Title & Author:

The limitless city : a primer on the urban sprawl debate / Oliver Gillham ; aerial photographs by Alex S. MacLean.

Publication:

Washington, DC : Island Press, ©2002.

Description:

xvi, 309 pages : illustrations, maps ; 26 cm

Notes:
Includes bibliographical references (pages 283-293) and index.
pt. I. Understanding sprawl -- 1. What is sprawl? -- Characteristics and indicators of sprawl -- Definition of sprawl -- What makes sprawl? -- The limitless city -- Sprawl in summary -- 2. The origins of sprawl -- Industrial cities -- Reform -- The first modern suburbs -- Automobiles and roads -- Post-war suburban expansion -- Suburbanization and cities -- The origins of sprawl in summary -- 3. Reactions and countertrends -- Protesting the highways -- Cleaning up the environment -- The importance of history -- Resurgent older cities -- Analyzing the trends -- Mounting protest and reaction -- Reactions and countertrends in summary.
pt. II. The sprawl debate -- 4. Outlining the debate -- In defense of sprawl -- Why is there any debate? -- The charges against sprawl -- Pro-development -- Untangling the sprawl brawl -- 5. Land and habitat -- Vanishing landscape? -- Natural habitat -- Land and habitat in summary -- 6. Transportation and energy -- Traffic -- Energy consumption -- Transportation and energy in summary -- 7. Pollution and public health -- Air quality -- Water quality -- Public health -- Pollution and public health summary -- 8. Economics and social equity -- The economics of sprawl -- Social divides and cities -- Economics and social equity in summary -- 9. Aesthetics and community -- Sprawl and aesthetics -- Community -- Aesthetics and community in summary.
pt. III. Searching for alternatives -- 10. Growth management and smart growth -- Growth management -- What is "smart growth"? -- Smart growth measures -- Growth management and smart growth in summary -- 11. Preserving open space -- The importance of open space -- Open-space conservation programs -- Growth boundaries -- The downside of open-space conservation -- Preserving open space in summary -- 12. Changing development patterns -- Compact, mixed-use developments -- Revitalizing older downtowns and inner-ring suburbs -- The density issue -- Changing development patterns in summary -- 13. Viable public transportation -- The importance of public transportation -- Local public transportation initiatives -- Metropolitan transit initiatives -- Innovative transit technology -- Barriers to transit -- The land-use connection -- Viable public transportation in summary -- 14. Regionalism -- Expansion and annexation -- Recurrent regionalism -- Case studies in regionalism -- Regionalism in summary.
pt. IV. The future and concluding thoughts -- 15. Thinking about the future -- The prospects for change -- Technology and cyberspace -- A picture of the future -- Thinking about the future in summary -- 16. Conclusion -- The suburban pattern -- A willing nation -- Suburban malaise -- A paradigm of democracy -- A misuse of resources -- Increasing pollution -- Pushing for transit -- A widening gulf -- Losing open space -- Changing growth priorities -- The sprawl we already have -- The continuing debate.

Summary:

"One of the great debates of our time concerns the predominant form of land use in America today -- the all too familiar pattern of commercial and residential development known as sprawl. But what do we really know about sprawl? Do we know what it is? Where did it come from? Is it really so bad? If so, what are the alternatives? Can anything be done to make it better? 'The Limitless City' offers an accessible examination of those and related questions. Oliver Gillham, an architect and planner with more than twenty-five years of experience in the field, considers the history and development of sprawl and examines current debates about the issue.
The book: offers a comprehensive definition of sprawl in America; traces the roots of sprawl and considers the factors that led to its preeminence as an urban and suburban form; reviews both its negative impacts (loss of open space, increased pollution, gridlock) as well as its positive aspects (economic development, personal freedom, privacy); considers responses to sprawl including "smart growth," urban growth boundaries, regional planning, and the New Urbanism; looks at what can be done to improve and counterbalance sprawl.
The author argues that whether we like it or not, sprawl is here to stay, and only by understanding where it came from and why it developed will we be able to successfully address the problems it has created and is likely to create in the future. 'The Limitless City' is the first book to provide a realistic look at sprawl, with a frank recognition of its status as the predominant urban form in America, now and into the near future. Rather than railing against it, Gillham charts its probable future course while describing critical efforts that can be undertaken to improve the future of sprawl and our existing urban core areas."--Publisher description.

Resources:
Publisher description

ISBN:

1559638338 (pbk. ; alk. paper)
9781559638333 (pbk. ; alk. paper)

Subject:

Cities and towns United States Growth.
Metropolitan areas United States.
Suburbs United States.
Land subdivision United States.
Regional planning United States.
Cities and towns Growth.
Metropolitan areas.
Suburbs.
Land subdivision.
Regional planning.
Urban sprawl United States.
Villes Croissance.
Agglomérations urbaines.
Banlieues.
Lotissement.
Aménagement du territoire.
Villes États-Unis Croissance.
Lotissement États-Unis.
Aménagement du territoire États-Unis.
metropolitan areas.
land subdivision.
regional planning.
urban sprawl.
suburban growth.
satellite cities.
suburbs.
Großstadt
Regionalplanung
Stadtentwicklung
Suburbanisatie.
Stedelijke omgeving.
Metropolen.
Regionale planning.
Développement urbain.
Ville.
Banlieue.
Agglomération urbaine.
United States
USA
États-Unis.

Added entries:

MacLean, Alex S.

Holdings:

Location: Library main 222376
Call No.: HT384.U5 G5 2002
Status: Available