Reclaiming Our Cities And Town [Paperback]

David Engwicht (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0865712832 | ISBN-13: 978-0865712836 | Publication Date: November 1993

Reclaiming Our Cities and Towns provides groundbreaking answers to the problems that cars and traffic inflict upon our neighborhoods, streets, and pedestrian rights. It points the way toward "eco-cities" where people can move (via foot, bicycles, and mass transit) and interact freely-without fear and pollution. Advocating community control, this is an excellent how-to book on organizing and planning for sustainable urban development.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Anyone who has suffered the frustrations of highway construction or the hassles of daily commuting has a vested interest in this Australian import, a manifesto for changing our cities based on some rather utopian but provocative principles. Engwicht contends we need to rethink our ideas of place and live in cities in less isolated ways. He encourages us to get back in touch with our neighborhoods--to walk and bicycle through them, find their hubs, talk with people, and alter streetlife so that the immediate neighborhood meets more human needs. He encourages less reliance on the car, which he sees as the major factor in our isolation and disconnectedness from community. He wants to create the "Eco-City," which will encompass a more "organic" way of life. Although a bit pie-in-the-sky in view of our cities' problems with violence and deteriorating environment, Engwicht's proposals bear serious consideration. Mary Ellen Sullivan --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: New Society Publishers (November 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0865712832
• ISBN-13: 978-0865712836
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,900,779 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice!, December 17, 2010

By 

Adam Tatar (New Orleans, LA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Reclaiming Our Cities and Towns: Better Living With Less Traffic (Paperback)

This was a well written discussion of walkable urbanism. It is mainly devoid of academic urban planning-speak which makes it accesible and easy to read.

5.0 out of 5 stars Table of Contents, October 26, 2008

By 

Theseus "theseus" (US of A) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Reclaiming Our Cities and Towns: Better Living With Less Traffic (Hardcover)

Foreword
Acknowledgements
Introduction

The Nature of the Eco-City
- Events Not Matter
- Pro-City Not Anti-City
- Chaotic Not Mono-Cultural
- Spontaneous not Planned
- Places not Destinations

How Traffic Destroys the Eco-City
- The Growing Zone of Influence
- Burning the House to Stay Warm
- A Nudge is as Good as a Wink

Eco-Relational Thinking
- More Power to the Generalist
- Learning the Gentle Art
- Getting Inside the Skin
- Learning to Yarn With Rubbish Bins

Eco-Rights
- Human Rights in the Mechanical City
- Cars on Streets Right or Privilege
- Raw End of the Deal
- A Draft Charter of Access to Exchange Rights

Rebuilding the Eco-City Tomorrow
- Metamorphosis
- Do Cites Make the People
- Five Clues from Nature
- Ten Guidelines
- No Gain Without Pain?
- Four Modest Proposals
- Feeding the Revolution
- Will it Be a Long Road Home?

Appendices A and B
Glossary
Endnotes
Bibliography (10 pp)
Index