How Cities Work
In this book I take a reader on a journey through the modern American landscape. I look at four very different urban environments-the decentralized sprawl of California's Silicon Valley, the crowded streets of New York City's Jackson Heights neighborhood, the controlled growth of Portland, Oregon, and the stage-set facades of Disney's planned New Urbanist community, Celebration, Florida. In addition, I look at the roles of government, community, the central city and the suburb. Along the way on this journey, I argue a simple thesis: that the transportation systems we choose -- our highways, train lines, airports and bike paths -- determine the form and character of our communities more than anything else. These infrastructure decisions, I say, are more important than zoning, growth controls and building design, the usual stuff of public debate. I hope to give readers the analytical tools they need to make more of a difference in their own communities.
