In this thoroughly revised edition of Managing Growth in Americas Communities; readers will learn the principles that guide intelligent planning for communities of any size; grasp the major issues in successfully managing growth; and discover what has actually worked in practice (and where and why). This clearly written book details how American communities have grappled with the challenges of planning for growth and the ways in which they are adapting new ideas about urban design; green building; and conservation. Itdescribes the policies and programs they have implemented; and includes examples from towns and cities throughout the U.S. ldquo;Growth managementrdquo; is essential today; as communities seek to control the location; impact; character and timing of development in order to balance environmental and economic needs and concerns. Managing Growth in Americas Communities addresses all of the key considerations:Establishing public roles in community development;Determining locations and character of future development;Protecting environmental and natural resources;Managing infrastructure development;Preserving community character and quality;Achieving economic and social goals;Respecting property rights concerns. The author; who is one of the nationrsquo;s leading authorities on managing community growth; provides examples from dozens of communities across the country; as well as state and regional approaches. Brief profiles present overviews of specific problems addressed; techniques utilized; results achieved; and contact information for further research. Informative sidebars offer additional perspectives from experts in growth management; including Robert Lang; Arthur C. Nelson; Erik Meyers; and others. This new edition has been completely updated by the author. In particular; he considers issues of population growth; eminent domain; and the importance of design; especially ldquo;greenrdquo; design. He also reports on the latest ideas in sustainable development; ldquo;smart growth;rdquo; neighborhood design; transit-oriented development; and green infrastructure planning. Like its predecessor; the second edition of Managing Growth in Americas Communities is essential reading for anyone who is interested in how communities can grow intelligently.
#1557468 in eBooks 2012-10-03 2012-10-03File Name: B009KOXFZE
Review
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. Wonderful read; insightful commentaryBy D. CrosbyOne of the best theme park books Ive read. The first several chapters are the setup for the connections to come later. As I was reading I thought I might jump ahead a bit and skip some of the early history. but Im glad I didnt. The payoff for knowing the beginnings of the theme park make the current state of the theme park all the richer.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Great information!By Harold HuweThis is a great book for someone who wants a good overview of Amusement and Theme parks starting with the Mauch Chunk railroad and early Coney Island amusements to todays Disneyland and Islands of adventure. There are many photos. but I wish more of them were in color.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Some good stuff. but most readers will find his theoretical approach alienating.By lyndonbrechtThis is a very difficult read. Some readers will find it an excruciating bore. Here is why. The author has an approach grounded in a kind of postmodern theory. akin postmodernism in literary criticism. Heres a sample: "...the theme park is a performance about and through people." The idea that peoples lives are a continual performance is among postmodernist theories. Think of it as a kind of anthropological analysis and it will be more palatable. You can skim or ignore the philosophical bits. Note that the focus is mostly American.Why then. four stars? Because the information is intriguing and the research is solid. An example: he describes a 1750 London attraction called Jennys Whim. that featured mechanized mermaids. fish and monsters. a primitive animatronics.He makes a perhaps too strong differentiation between amusement parks and theme parks. Amusement parks are not organized around a unifying theme. Theme parks he says. "privilege" the family unit (translation: see families as their market niche). He has some interesting thoughts--architecture as performance. such as a replica of Big Ben at an amusement park. He sees the idea of theme expanding beyond traditional theme parks into themed malls of large size. citing some examples in China.The last part shades over into concepts like reading the theme park as a social text. a cool idea but only if you can wade trough the terminology.
