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Last Harvest: From Cornfield to New Town: Real Estate Development from George Washington to the Builders of the Twenty-First Century, and Why We Live in Houses Anyway Paperback – May 13, 2008

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Witold Rybczynski (Author)
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4.1 out of 5 stars 18 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Scribner; Reprint edition (May 13, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0743235975
  • ISBN-13: 978-0743235976
  • Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.9 x 8.4 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #791,950 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 starsThe dirt on suburbs, exurbs, zoning, and land development
By Charles S. Houser on June 7, 2007
Format: Hardcover
"The last harvest" refers to farmers who sell, and jealously covet their right to sell, portions of their farms to developers for housing developments. In his book Rybczynski, as the book's long subtitle makes clear, gives the reader a behind-the-scenes look at how one such tract of land became a neo-traditional rural development, New Daleville, Pennsylvania. Rybczynski writes in a level-headed style without any sense of alarm. There is no good guys/bad guys polarity here, just a lot of people trying to make a living (or find a decent and affordable place to live) in unpredictable economic situations without sacrificing the things they value most in community. If Rybczynski has a point of view other than that of an intelligent, informed social observer who has been writing about architecture and urban development for decades, he keeps it well in check. For readers looking for ammunition, this may be a disappointing read.

Many players are introduced--local farmers looking to sell their land, land developers, zoning boards, building contractors, banking and public officials, sanitation specialists, nearby residents, and potential buyers--but no personal profile dominates the story. They merely come in and out of view like passers-by on the much coveted sidewalks of the "village core" in one of the neotraditional garden exurbs Rybczynski describes. This superficiality made the book a little less interesting to me than his earlier books, like CITY LIFE and WAITING FOR THE WEEKEND, in which extensive historical background were provided, and left me craving more data. This kind of information is in the book (like a four page digression into the post-WWII Levittown phenomenon), it's just not as plentiful as this reader wanted.Read more ›
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5.0 out of 5 starsAn impressive piece of work
By Peter D. Tillman VINE VOICE on September 14, 2008
Format: Paperback
An impressive piece of work, which I read at two sittings. The review you want to read is Penelope Green's, at the New York Times -- I'll put the link in a comment, as Amazon won't allow outside links in their reviews.

Rybczynski writes a very nice portrait of the contemporary subdivision planning and building process, with the focus on a particular exurb near his home in Philadelphia. In the process, you'll learn a lot about the history of suburban living in America -- and perhaps unlearn some persistent misinformation from urban intellectuals who don't like the suburbs. Highly recommended.

Happy reading--
Peter D. Tillman
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4.0 out of 5 starsgood journalism, so-so social science
By Michael Lewyn VINE VOICE on February 5, 2008
Format: Hardcover
When this book focuses on the story of one development in Chester County (a suburb of Philadelphia), it is quite good. It is a breezy, easy-to-read story of how one developer views the zoning process.

Some of the things I got from this book:

*Chester County's suburbanites want to limit development as much as possible. As the author notes, "New houses mean extra cars, extra traffic at rush hour, more kids in the schools, and in the long run, higher taxes."

*As a result, Chester County's zoning board tends to favor low density development; the size of an average lot in Chester County increased from half an acre in the 1960s to an acre and a half in the 1990s.

*One reason housing prices are so high is that developers have to bribe local residents to get new development approved. For example, the developer profiled in this book had to buy neighbors' support by giving away 12,500 square feet of open space.

*In Chester County, the price of land has become a greater percentage than ever of housing prices, due to (according to the developer profiled in this book) zoning-induced scarcity. In 1976, the cost of a lot represented only 15% of a Chester County house's selling price- today, the cost of land represents 30% of the sale price.

*Contrary to conventional wisdom among property rights types, homeowners' associations and the restrictive covenants they enforce are not a result of free choice among consumers. According to the developer of New Daleville, "all our projects include community associations. The local municipal governments insist on it" so that the associations (rather than municipalities) will be responsible for the costs of street maintenance.Read more ›
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4.0 out of 5 starsWhy do we live in houses, anyway?
By J. Brenner on May 27, 2007
Format: Hardcover
This book is good summer reading. Not junk, but not too taxing for the beach. Far more interesting than it sounds, it is a peek behind the scenes of the usually opaque world of land deals and zoning variances, with some American history and acrhitectural appreciation through in for good measure. It explains a lot about suburban why subdivisions are usually so grim and lifeless, and provides some hope that the future doesn't have to be just more of the same.
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5.0 out of 5 starsBehind the scenes in real estate development
By G. A. Dean on November 14, 2007
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
If you work in a field related to real estate development, this is a great book to read. The author tracks the development of a small subdivision from initial planning to government permitting to final sales. All the while, he provides insight into the evolution of residential real estate sales in the US, and the varying perspectives of the main characters in the process. This is a great read for urban (and not-so-urban) planners. I highly recommend the book.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 starsNo.

I was forced to read this book while at Columbia University. I was to be graded upon my understanding and retention. Read more

Published on May 22, 2012 by Clement Hovey
5.0 out of 5 starsVery fitting book for our times

This book brings life to a subject that many folks might find to be dry reading. Filled with lots anecdotal evidence on the history of residential development and a fascinating... Read more

Published on November 1, 2010 by Jordan Braunstein
1.0 out of 5 starsVery, very light reading!

This book sets out to chronicle the development of an exurban cornfield from the moment the land is bought by a developer to when homes are delivered to buyers. Read more

Published on June 19, 2010 by Pierre Gauthier
4.0 out of 5 starsCase study of a semi-rural development project

This is about the development of a small residential development in the countryside of Pennsylvania, using the "traditional neighborhood development" approach--sort of like... Read more

Published on February 12, 2010 by Ronald Starr
5.0 out of 5 starsArrived quickly and in the condition promised!

The item, arrived quickly and in the condition promised, just in time for my class!

Published on July 9, 2009 by A. Artiga
5.0 out of 5 starsA Man A Plan- Daleville

"The modest single-family house is the glory of the suburban tradition."
"It offers its inhabitants a comprehensible image of independence and privacy while also accepting the... Read more

Published on September 11, 2008 by Terri Rice
5.0 out of 5 starsExcellent book

This is a great book on how suburban development works. It is very well researched and all the ideas are based on deep reasoning. Read more

Published on March 20, 2008 by ileana
4.0 out of 5 starsExcellent Overview

A great book for anyone who has driven through the ex-urbs lately and wondered why and how suburban development is the way it is. Read more

Published on October 18, 2007 by C. Beaudoin
4.0 out of 5 starsPlanning

A design profession relief from the more informative norm that planning, landscape architecture, urban design, and architecture are represented by. Read more

Published on August 26, 2007 by Garry Meus
5.0 out of 5 starsA 10-star book every housing consumer will relish

This is a really really important book that unlocks dozens of mysteries of why we end up in the homes that we come to occupy and how communities are created from cornfields. Read more

Published on August 22, 2007 by Inquiring Mind

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