SUBURBAN ALCHEMY: 1960S NEW TOWNS AND THE TRANSFORMATION O (URBAN LIFE & URBAN LANDSCAPE) (Hardcover)

~ NICHOLAS DAGEN BLOOM (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Bloom's fine critical analysis forces the reader to see the political consequences of voluntary behavior . . ." -- Journal of American History, December, 2002

"Suburban Alchemy is an extensively researched and persuasively argued contribution to the growing literature on suburban history." -- Reviewed by Roger Biles, Department of History, East Carolina University. Published by H-Urban (September, 2001)

"The analysis is clearly structured . . . with the three towns providing case studies by which various issues can be examined." -- Journal of Design History, 2003

"This book is well written and accessible to students-both undergraduates and graduates-as well as to a more general readership." -- American Historical Review, June, 2003 --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Description

In Suburban Alchemy: 1960s New Towns and the Transformation of the American Dream, Nicholas Dagen Bloom examines the "new town" movement of the 1960s, which sought to transform the physical and social environments of American suburbs by showing that idealism could be profitable.

Bloom offers case studies of three of the movement's more famous examples—Reston, Virginia; Columbia, Maryland; and Irvine, California—to flesh out his historical account. In each case, innovative planners mixed land uses and housing types; refined architectural, graphic, and landscape design; offered well-defined village and town centers; and pioneered institutional planning. As Bloom demonstrates, these efforts did not uniformly succeed, and attempts to reshape community life through design notably faltered. However, despite frequent disappointments and compromises, the residents have kept the new town ideals alive for over four decades and produced a vital form of suburban community that is far more complicated and interesting than the early vision promoted by the town planners. Lively chapters illustrate efforts in local politics, civic spirit, social and racial integration, feminist innovations, and cultural sponsorship.

Suburban Alchemy should be of interest to scholars of U.S. urban history, planning history, and community development, as well as the general reader interested in the development of alternative communities in the United States. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 333 pages
• Publisher: Ohio State University Press; 1 edition (May 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814208746
• ISBN-13: 978-0814208748
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
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• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #7,252,010 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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