Green Urbanism: Learning From European Cities [Paperback]

Timothy Beatley (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1559636823 | ISBN-13: 978-1559636827 | Publication Date: December 1, 1999 | Edition: 1

As the need to confront unplanned growth increases, planners, policymakers, and citizens are scrambling for practical tools and examples of successful and workable approaches. Growth management initiatives are underway in the U.S. at all levels, but many American "success stories" provide only one piece of the puzzle. To find examples of a holistic approach to dealing with sprawl, one must turn to models outside of the United States. In "Green Urbanism," Timothy Beatley explains what planners and local officials in the United States can learn from the sustainable city movement in Europe. The book draws from the extensive European experience, examining the progress and policies of twenty-five of the most innovative cities in eleven European countries, which Beatley researched and observed in depth during a year-long stay in the Netherlands. Chapters examine: the sustainable cities movement in Europe examples and ideas of different housing and living options transit systems and policies for promoting transit use, increasing bicycle use, and minimizing the role of the automobile creative ways of incorporating greenness into cities ways of readjusting "urban metabolism" so that waste flows become circular programs to promote more sustainable forms of economic development sustainable building and sustainable design measures and features renewable energy initiatives and local efforts to promote solar energy ways of greening the many decisions of local government including ecological budgeting, green accounting, and other city management tools.Throughout, Beatley focuses on the key lessons from these cities -- including Vienna, Helsinki, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Zurich, Amsterdam, London, andBerlin -- and what their experience can teach us about effectively and creatively promoting sustainable development in the United States. "Green Urbanism" is the first full-length book to describe urban sustainability in European cities, and provides concrete examples and detailed discussions of innovative and practical sustainable planning ideas. It will be a useful reference and source of ideas for urban and regional planners, state and local officials, policymakers, students of planning and geography, and anyone concerned with how cities can become more livable.

Product Details

• Paperback: 491 pages
• Publisher: Island Press; 1 edition (December 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1559636823
• ISBN-13: 978-1559636827
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #48,545 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #9 in Books > Science & Math > Environment > Environmentalism

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Timothy Beatley delivers description not analysis, March 24, 2007

By 

L.. Oost - See all my reviews

This review is from: Green Urbanism: Learning From European Cities (Paperback)

Timothy Beateley did an excellent job describing European cities and their sustainability policies. Overall it is a solid, technical approach with detailed information about policy, institutions, research. But somehow he does not succeed in convincing me about appropriate tactics to enhance sustainability in cities. He just offers extensive, I must say, rather optimistic appraisals of European cities and their policies. Yes, European cities do have advantages compared with the avarage American city. A medium sized European city mostly has a compact urban form and does nut suffer from extensive urban sprawl. But Beatley fails to distinguish between good intentions and results in urban planning. I fear that mostly his descriptions are based on rather biased information, including mine, on the possibilities and realities of European planning. He bases his analysis on the charters with good intentions, policy documents and congresses. He seems to oversee the fact that even European cities do not succeed in reducing the ecological footprint. I would rather divert the attention towards the conceptions of the real possessors of power, the builders, the industrial entrepreneurs, the image makers. The selling of sustainability seems to me the most challenging issue. Policy makers have temporarily lost their interest and are not able to implement their well intended policies.

Luuk Oost

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What exists is possible!, August 24, 2005

By 

Blake Hamann (Olympia, WA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Green Urbanism: Learning From European Cities (Paperback)

As a college student with a focus on planning and green design I found Timothy Beatley's book inspiring. So inspiring in fact that I am travelling to Europe this fall in search of solutions to urban issues of sustainability which can be used in the states. I agree with the reviewer who said that there are large differences in structure, funding and politics in Northern Europe but I strongly disagree with his dismissive assertion that those solutions are irrelevant or impossible in the United States. What exists is possible. Livable, walkable, sustainable cities are important for people everywhere and we should look for ideas anywhere we can get them.
As for Beatley's "slanted" case studies, he includes at the end of each chapter examples of similar initiatives and programs in American cities. Personally I don't think the author is scolding American cities for not being progressive so much as offering examples of what is possible. Are we capable of "Learning From European Cities?" Absolutely. Can they be adapted to the realities of American cities? Of course.

8 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ample introduction on how to make cities "Green", June 12, 2000

By 

Joshua D. Hamilton (Santa Monica, California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Green Urbanism: Learning From European Cities (Paperback)

Beatley shows there is much to learn from the Europeans when it come to the ecological and environmental city planning. Although it would be hard to implement European planning practices on American soil, it brings a new, and beneficial perspective that many can use towards an incremental change.