BOOK REVIEWS
Books are important. CharacterTowns.org selects and discusses current publications and works from previous generations that still hold wisdom for contemporary city-building. The review also includes published reviews and Youtube links to discussions by or about the author. Books are selected from the attached Suggested Readings.
Designing Urban Corridors by Kirk R Bishop
The literature that addresses the needs of urban corridors is sparse. The classic study was authored in 1989 by Kirk […]
Detroit, An American Autopsy.
Character towns, even small cities, can learn from Detroit. Detroit, An American Autopsy [2013] by Charlie LeDuff’s requires you to […]
Developing Affordable Housing: A Practical Guide for Nonprofit Organizations by Bennett L. Hecht
Although the face of America and those who live in it have changed in the past decade, the need for […]
Developing Sustainable Planned Communities
Developing Sustainable Planned Communities [2007] offers useful insights to small cities and towns about what features are important to communities […]
Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations by Alex Harris and Brett Harris
Education is too important to be left to the school board. Small cities and towns can and should be actively […]
Edmund N. Bacon, City Planner, Philadelphia, 1949-1970
Mr. Bacon was the distinguished executive director of the Philadelphia Planning Commission from 1949 until 1970. He is personally responsible […]
Eyes on the Street: The Life of Jane Jacobs by Robert Kanigel
JANE JACOBS’S STREET SMARTS. What the urbanist and writer got so right about cities—and what she got wrong.By Adam Gopnik “Jacobs, in […]
For the Love of Cities, The Love Affair Between People and Their Places by Peter Kageyama
Cities and towns, especially those with character, are emotional experiences. We are initially confronted with their physical form, but the […]
Government 3.0 – Next Generation Government Technology Infrastructure and Services by Adegboyega Ojo & Jeremy Millard
Keeping up with technology and its applications to municipal governance is a constant exercise. Books such as the Government 3.0 […]
Hot, Flat and Crowded, Why We Need a Green Revolution – And How It Can Renew America by Thomas L. Friedman
A great summary of our situation; a challenge to the things we value and want to preserve. What confrontsus is […]