Dream Cities: Seven Urban Ideas That Shape the World
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.22 (806 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0062196316 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 336 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2017-02-02 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
An adjunct professor of public policy at Pepperdine University, he is the author of American Eden: From Monticello to Central Park to Our Backyards: What Our Gardens Tell Us About Who We Are.. Wade Graham is a Los Angeles–based garden designer, historian, and writer whose work on the environment, landscape, urbanism, and the arts
Wade Graham uses the lives of the pivotal dreamers behind these concepts, as well as their acolytes and antagonists, to deconstruct our urban landscapes—the houses, towers, civic centers, condominiums, shopping malls, boulevards, highways, and spaces in between—exposing the ideals and ideas embodied in each.From the baroque fantasy villages of Bertram Goodhue to the superblocks of Le Corbusier’s Radiant City to the pseudo-agrarian dispersal of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Broadacre City, our upscale leafy suburbs, downtown skyscraper districts, infotainment-driven shopping malls, and “sustainable&rdquo
Graham is as masterly as a novelist when it comes to character development and narrative.” (Wall Street Journal)“An intriguing architectural history and an effective antidote to the excesses of urban renewal and city planning.” (Kirkus)“Dream Cities offers a fascinating look at seven trends in urban planning that shaped the modern world.” (Shelf Awareness)Praise for American Eden: “An ambitious study of the forms and ideas of the contemporary city. Mr. Graham wants us to see these urban and architectural forms afresh, not as t
Interesting perspective on architecture Jeri L. Miller Fascinating book, very well written, clever and insightful review of seven different architectural concepts, complete with photos.. So many books of this type get lost in boring and academic prose I just devoured this book. I read a lot of books on history and architecture and I must say this one really stands out for a couple of reasons. First, it is just plain well written. So many books of this type get lost in boring and academic prose. It is the opposite of a tome – just a nicely proportioned book that is easy to dig into. Second, it is well documented and researched without bogging down in references. (I like the use of end notes rather than footnotes.) Obviously we turn to a book like this wit. "I found more focused books more satisfying" according to algoI found more focused books more satisfying algo41 It is not clear what Graham was attempting. In the intro he says the book is intended to provide the reader with a “field guide” to the architecture around him/her, but also to narrate the dreams and intentions behind the modern city, and in doing the latter there is significant discussion of projects never built. I found more focused books more satisfying: Jane Jacobs, “The Death and Life of Great American Cities”, and William H. Whyte, “City: Rediscovering the Center”. In som. 1. It is not clear what Graham was attempting. In the intro he says the book is intended to provide the reader with a “field guide” to the architecture around him/her, but also to narrate the dreams and intentions behind the modern city, and in doing the latter there is significant discussion of projects never built. I found more focused books more satisfying: Jane Jacobs, “The Death and Life of Great American Cities”, and William H. Whyte, “City: Rediscovering the Center”. In som