Now considered a dysfunctional mess; Chicagorsquo;s public housing projects once had long waiting lists of would-be residents hoping to leave the slums behind. So what went wrong? To answer this complicated question; D. Bradford Hunt traces public housingrsquo;s history in Chicago from its New Deal roots through current mayor Richard M. Daleyrsquo;s Plan for Transformation. In the process; he chronicles the Chicago Housing Authorityrsquo;s own transformation from the cityrsquo;s most progressive government agency to its largest slumlord. Challenging explanations that attribute the projectsrsquo; decline primarily to racial discrimination and real estate interests; Hunt argues that well-intentioned but misguided policy decisionsmdash;ranging from design choices to maintenance contractsmdash;also paved the road to failure. Moreover; administrators who fully understood the potential drawbacks did not try to halt such deeply flawed projects as Cabrini-Green and the Robert Taylor Homes. These massive high-rise complexes housed unprecedented numbers of children but relatively few adults; engendering disorder that pushed out the working class and; consequently; the rents needed to maintain the buildings. The resulting combination of fiscal crisis; managerial incompetence; and social unrest plunged the CHA into a quagmire from which it is still struggling to emerge. Blueprint for Disaster; then;is an urgent reminder of the havoc poorly conceived policy can wreak on our most vulnerable citizens.
#1109533 in eBooks 2008-10-01 2008-10-01File Name: B002F9NJ3E
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Great - But For BeginnersBy Rob SmithHeres the deal: this book is for beginners. I gave it four stars because the description and differences between the two books arent clearly set out. That said. it is a great book.2 of 3 people found the following review helpful. very useless advice. and things you could have figured out ...By Chris HallIf youre buying this book. you should know what youre getting. A lot of generic advice. some very. very useless advice. and things you could have figured out on your own. Also. nothing you can read in this book will magically improve the real quality of your music. Only continual writing. listening. and internalizing music can do this.However. this book is littered here and there with some very useful information. some slight looking glass into the inner workings of the industry. what publishers may really expect of you. and. if you can be acute and deductive. some accidental advice (or at least food for thought).For instance. it is suggested in here that. very often. a hit songs melody takes place within a range of about an octave and one. or a ninth.Whether your concern is really making art or just breaking into the industry as a writer for hire. there are at least tidbits like this. which I think are not necessarily to be used as guidelines. but as incidental insight into the psychology of listeners. consumers. and industry big-wigs.TL;DR: This book wont give you much more than you already have. and it wont help you make good art-- but it will help you think about what youre doing. as well as give you some idea about what is expected from you. the songwriter. in the music industry.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Great book!By M. HuffGreat book easy read. worthwhile purchase. Great beginning book for anyone looking to enter the music business in writing or singing your own stuff.
