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Title:
Behind the gates : life, security, and the pursuit of happiness in fortress America

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$38.95
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Summary:
In the last twenty years, thousands upon thousands of the upper and middle classes have retreated into gated communities. In 2002 it is estimated that one in eight Americans will live in these exclusive neighborhoods. What has sparked this alarming trend? Behind the Gates is Low's revealing account of what life is like inside these suburban fortresses. After years researching and interviewing families in Long Island, New York and San Antonio, Texas, Low provides an inside view of gated communities to help explain why people flee to these enclaves. Parents with children, young married couples, "empty-nesters," and retirees express their need for safety, their secret fears of a more ethnically diverse America, and their desire to recapture the close-knit, picket-fenced communities of their childhood. Ironically, she shows, gated neighborhoods are in fact no safer than other suburbs, and many who move there are disheartened by the insularity and restrictive rules of the community. Low probes the hopes, dreams, and fears of her subjects to portray the subtle change in American middle-class values marked by the emergence of enclosed communities in the suburbs.

Title:
Politics of public space

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$45.50
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Summary:
Public spaces, once democratic sites of dissent and cultural transformation, have become centres of private commerce and consumption. Increasingly, municipalities and local businesses collaborate to police urban public spaces, transforming them into highly regulated sites of cultural and economic activity. "The politics of public space" highlights the historical, cultural, and geographical specificity of privatized and repoliticized public space in order to raise the possibility of a different politics of public space and a reimagined public sphere.

Title:
Why public space matters

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$46.99
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Summary:
Public spaces — where people from all walks of life play, work, meet, talk, read, think, debate, and protest — are vital to a healthy civic life. And, as the eminent scholar of public space Setha Low argues in this book, even fleeting moments of visibility and encounter in these spaces tend to foster a broader worldview and our willingness to accept difference. Yet we are losing public spaces to accelerated urban development and the belief that public spaces are expendable. Low explores why public spaces matter today, how they are at risk, and what we can do about protecting these essential places that support our everyday lives. Finally, she shows how we can work to promote public space protection and expansion at both the grassroots and global levels. Throughout, she focuses on real public spaces and the people who use them in cities and regions across the Americas, from New Jersey to Costa Rica

Title:
Rethinking urban parks : public space and cultural diversity

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$30.00
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Summary:
Urban parks such as New York City's Central park provide vital public spaces where city dwellers of all races and classes can mingle safely while enjoying a variety of recreations. By coming together in these relaxed settings, different groups become comfortable with each other, thereby strengthening their communities and the democratic fabric of society. But just the opposite happens when, by design or in ignorance, parks are made inhospitable to certain groups of people. This pathfinding book argues that cultural diversity should be a key goal in designing and maintaining urban parks. Using case studies of New York City's Prospect park, Orchard beach in Pelham Bay park, and Jacob Riis park in the Gateway national recreation area, as well as New York's Ellis Island bridge proposal and Philadelphia's Independence national historical park, the authors identify specific ways to promote, maintain, and manage cultural diversity in urban parks. They also uncover the factors that can limit park use, including historical interpretive materials that ignore the contributions of different ethnic groups, high entrance or access fees, park usage rules that restrict ethnic activities, and park "restorations" that focus only on historical or aesthetic values. With the wealth of data in this book, urban planners, park professionals, and all concerned citizens will have the tools to create and maintain public parks that serve the needs and interests of all the public.