These twelve previously unpublished essays present innovative and
practical ideas for addressing the harmful effects of sprawl. Sprawl is
not only an ongoing focus of specialized magazines like Dwell; indeed,
Time magazine has cited "recycling the suburbs" as the second of "Ten
Ideas Changing the World Right Now." While most conversations on sprawl
tend to focus on its restriction, this book presents an overview of
current thinking on ways to fix, repair, and retrofit existing sprawl.
Chapters by planners, geographers, designers, and architects present
research grounded in diverse locales including Phoenix, Arizona;
Seattle, Washington; Dublin, Ohio; and the Atlanta, Georgia, and
Washington, D.C. metro areas. The authors address head-on the most
controversial aspects of sprawl--issues of power and control, justice
and equity, and American attitudes about regulating private development.
But they also put these issues in practical contexts, bringing in
examples of redesign that are already occurring around the country,
including the retrofitting of corridors and the repurposing of
cul-de-sacs. Whether fixing sprawl requires a "cultural shift" in
thinking or a "coordinated effort" by local government, these essays
testify that a combination of forethought and creative thinking will be
needed.
