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Cities Back from the Edge: New Life for Downtown (Paperback)

~ (Author), Norman Mintz (Author) "The first thing one sees driving into Mansfield, Ohio (population 54,000), is a colorful, handpainted sign, "Welcome to Mansfield-A Reason for All Seasons..." (more)
Key Phrases: downtown essentials, downtown rebirth, new local businesses, New York, Project Planners, New Jersey (more...)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)

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Frequently Bought Together

Cities Back from the Edge: New Life for Downtown + The Living City: How America's Cities Are Being Revitalized by Thinking Small in a Big Way + Comeback Cities: A Blueprint for Urban Neighborhood Revival
Price For All Three: $60.11

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  • This item: Cities Back from the Edge: New Life for Downtown by Roberta Brandes Gratz

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Editorial Reviews

Review

In Cities Back from the Edge, Gratz and Mintz offer a love song for the city...their volume, attractively packaged and richly illustrated, is really a cookbook for downtown revitalization. It turns out the most valuable contribution to urban understanding of the year isn't only a book, it's also a bumper sticker: Think globally, act locally."--The Wall Street Journal

Cities Back From the Edge was featured again in The New York Times. Frank Rich writes, "In their new book persuasively arguing for less grandiose, more indigenous urban renewal, Roberta Brandes Gratz and Norman Mintz write that a 'collection of visitor attractions does not add up to a city' whether those attractions are cultural centers, convention centers, aquariums, stadiums or enclosed malls."--The New York Times

"...provides a fascinating insight into the US Urban Design scenario..." (Urban Design, Autumn 2001)

Product Description

"A love song for the city . . . [this] volume, attractively packaged and richly illustrated, is really a cookbook for downtown revitalization." —Wall Street Journal

In this pioneering book on successful urban recovery, two urban experts draw on their firsthand observations of downtown change across the country to identify a flexible, effective approach to urban rejuvenation. From transportation planning and sprawl containment to the threat of superstore retailers, they address a host of key issues facing our cities today.

Roberta Brandes Gratz (New York, NY), an award-winning journalist and urban critic, is author of the urban design classic The Living City. A former staff reporter for the New York Post, Gratz has written for the New York Times Magazine and other publications. Norman Mintz (New York, NY) has played a leading role in the field of downtown revitalization for more than twenty-five years. He is Design Director at the 34th Street Partnership in New York City and a consultant on downtown revitalization across the country.


Product Details

  • Paperback: 376 pages
  • Publisher: Wiley (January 27, 2000)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0471361240
  • ISBN-13: 978-0471361244
  • Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7 x 1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #797,902 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Roberta Brandes Gratz
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Customer Reviews

9 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Breath of fresh city air, November 26, 1998
By James Tortolano (Garden Grove, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
What a find! As a journalist whose community is undergoing redevelopment, I find that for me this book provides perspective and innovative thinking on the subject of how to make cities better. I don't mind the "preachiness" because it is a welcome antidote to the bland groupthink of so many planning "professionals" who sometimes do not seem to have one original thought among them. If you love cities -- especially if you love your city -- this is an inspiring, useful and informative book.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful Analysis of Changing City Landscapes, August 19, 2002
By Matthew J. Fery (Dayton, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
In this text, Gratz and Mintz set out to establish guidelines and tips for city leaders, community activists, businesspeople, and regular citizens who seek to improve the status of their communities. They carefully outline what works, what does not work and why. Anyone interested in revilatizing downtown areas, setting up shop in a city, or running for office in an urban area should read this book as it will undoubtedly be helpful in creating a better understanding as to how cities can thrive in a new modern era.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A must for anyone who cares about the future of our cities., March 26, 1998
Gratz's second book is enriched by those who reached out to her after the publication of her first book on Cities. The book literally explodes with examples of how communities and cities are being revitalized. In a clear and readable presentation Gratz and Mintz describe how residents with a vision can achieve unbelievable results despite public policies and public policy decision makers who often are out of touch with the aspirations and needs of people. The book is a must read for anyone who cares about the future of our communities, our cities and our environment.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Big Highways Crippled Cities, Big Commercial Plans Can Thwart Rebirth
Those are the twin themes permeating Cities: Back From The Edge, a take-no-prisoners diatribe against America's strategic misplacement and overapplication of asphalt and the... Read more
Published on September 4, 2006 by Neil Cotiaux

5.0 out of 5 stars A no-nonsense approach to revitalization
The book is solid and devoid of ideology. A good read, with practical and useful advice as well as mini studies of redevelopment success stories.
Published on February 22, 2006 by Jerome Barth

3.0 out of 5 stars needs an editor
This book is disappointing in that the content is well-researched and important, but the organization is quite poor. It just rambles all over the place. Read more
Published on August 20, 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars great and informative
very informative. some experts may not wish to hear the truth in this book.
Published on February 14, 1999

3.0 out of 5 stars Informative but preachy
Gratz and Mintz bring some interesting perspective to the study of urban renewal. The professional consulting experience brought forth by the authoring team provides some... Read more
Published on October 4, 1998 by Scott Singer (ssinger@mactemps...

5.0 out of 5 stars What it is that makes a city, basically, nice
This book provides some success stories of how individuals and small organizations saved, rehabilited, prepared, and then feasted on the results of constructive reuse of their... Read more
Published on August 12, 1998

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