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Philip Langdon

A Better Place to Live: Reshaping the American Suburb Paperback – September 26, 1997

by Phillip Langdon (Author)

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Print length

288 pages
Language

English
Publisher

University of Massachusetts Press
Publication date

September 26, 1997
Dimensions

6 x 0.75 x 9.25 inches
ISBN-10

1558491066
ISBN-13

978-1558491069
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James Howard Kunstler
510
Paperback
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of Massachusetts Press (September 26, 1997)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1558491066
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1558491069
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.52 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.75 x 9.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,763,325 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #22,702 in Sociology (Books)
- #65,838 in United States History (Books)
- #86,494 in Social Sciences (Books)

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4.6 9 ratings

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David

Outstanding critique of American suburbia

Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2007

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There are more books that I can count that address American suburbs, and of the dozen or so that I have read this is by far the most comprehensive, best written, and most illuminating. Far from simply being a 250+ page rant about how bad suburbia is, Langdon offers an immense amount of very specific advice about how it can be made better. You don't have to be a landscape architect or planner to appreciate and enjoy this book. Anyone concerned with ensuring that we all have great places to live will benefit tremendously from reading it.

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saskatoonguy

Why can't suburbs be like real communities?

Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2001

Langdon's book is a gentle and articulate introduction to New Urbanism - the notion that our cities and our suburbs are a mess, and that in their place, we should have higher residential densities, mixed-use zoning, and pedestrian-oriented design. Langdon extols the benefits of the traditional street grid, and bemoans suburban developers' fascination with "pods" (i.e., clusters of cul-de-sacs). The author highlights the design of individual houses, and describes various ways of hiding garages and "granny apartments." Places given special attention include Seaside (Fla.), Kentlands (Md.), Laguna West (Cal.), Portland (Ore.), Kirkland (Wa.), and Bellevue (Wa.). The book is profusely illustrated with well over a hundred photographs and diagrams, a welcome change from authors who feel they can discuss this topic at length without a single illustration.

8 people found this helpful

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paul

Great book on urban planning

Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2009

I read this book about 10 years ago and it really changed the way I think about how communities are built. I didn't like cookie cutter suburbs that were popping up everywhere (and I still don't), but before I read this book I only had some vague ideas about how a city could be better. This book gives some really great examples about specific things that can/should be done to make a city a nice place to live.

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John M. Melody

A beautifuly-written and accessible book. A treasure.

Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2007

Langdon describes why modern American suburbs, with typical cul de sacs, feeder roads, and strip malls, rob us of our sense of community and of our connections to our neighbors. He explains how the over-reliance on the automobile is both a cause and a result of these suburban designs. But he goes further, describing why older neighborhoods feel so much better to us-- neighborhoods with grid layouts, houses with front porches, homes placed fairly close to tree lined streets. If you've ever looked around at modern American developments and wondered why they feel alienating and uncomfortable, this book will answer your questions in fascinating detail. Langdon's prose is beautifully clear.

One person found this helpful

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sunflr8697@aol.com

A MUST-read for Everyone

Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2000

Reading this book started out as a requirement for my Urban Planning class. However, I became so interested in what Langdon had to say, and his easy to read diction, that I couldn't put it down. I would recommend this book to anyone who lives in the city, in the suburbs or anywhere in between. Everyone can relate to the issues that Langdon brings up, and they are truly interesting and relavent in today's society. A great book to use as an introduction to issues of urban planning and urban improvement.

16 people found this helpful

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jmelody@earthlink.net John Melody

A beautifully written and accessible book-- a treasure

Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 1998

Langdon describes why modern American suburbs, with typical cul de sacs, feeder roads, and strip malls, rob us of our sense of community and of our connections to our neighbors. He explains how the over-reliance on the automobile is both a cause and a result of these suburban designs. But he goes further, describing why older neighborhoods feel so much better to us-- neighborhoods with grid layouts, houses with front porches, homes placed fairly close to tree lined streets. If you've ever looked around at modern American developments and wondered why they feel alienating and uncomfortable, this book will answer your questions in fascinating detail. Langdon's prose is beautifully clear.

10 people found this helpful

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Omari Norman

Langdon can't force people to live this way

Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2000

Mr. Langdon has some excellent points in his book. For instance, he makes a very convincing case that modern suburbia is sterile and that it encourages heavy reliance on the motor vehicle. He also offers good solutions, including more mixed-use neighborhoods, higher architectural standards, and different street layouts.
However, Mr. Langdon never adequately addresses a significant objection to his ideas: they are *expensive* to implement. At times, he does concede that his ideas would require higher expenditures on housing. Usually he counters this with arguments resembling "well, Americans don't need wet bars and a television set in every room. If only they would give that up, we could have more intimate communities." At times it seems as though he is actively encouraging Americans to consume less, an idea that could form the backbone of another book. In this book, it only detracts from his argument.
Sorry, Mr. Langdon. While Americans may want better communities, you can't force them to give up their television sets and wet bars in order to get them. Come up with a better way to pay for your ideas; otherwise, concede that the market has given modern Americans exactly what they want.

11 people found this helpful

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