How Cities Work: Suburbs, Sprawl, and the Roads Not Taken (Const

How Cities WorkSuburbs, Sprawl, and the Roads not Taken\nAuthor(s): Alex Marshall\nFormat: Paperback\nPublisher: University of Texas Press, United States\nImprint: University of Texas Press\nISBN-13: 9780292752405, 978-0292752405\nSynopsis\nDo cities work anymore? How did they get to be such sprawling conglomerations of lookalike subdivisions, megafreeways, and \""big box\"" superstores surrounded by acres of parking lots? And why, most of all, don't they feel like real communities? These are the questions that Alex Marshall tackles in this hard-hitting, highly readable look at what makes cities work. \n\n Marshall argues that urban life has broken down because of our basic ignorance of the real forces that shape cities-transportation systems, industry and business, and political decision making. He explores how these forces have built four very different urban environments-the decentralized sprawl of California's Silicon Valley, the crowded streets of New York City's Jackson Heights n.