Sprawl: A Compact History:Ebook Free Download

Ebook Free Download | Sprawl: A Compact History | This is a superb book on a subject that raises a lot of passions. I enjoyed many parts of it, not least the sections where Bruegmann discusses the (suspect) motives of those who go apoplectic over the very idea of sprawl. (Spoiler alert: their hostility is an affluence-based elitism that can gain a hearing only during economic good times.) Bruegmann's style is highly readable, but what makes this book excellent are three well-done things. First, he grounds his argument in historical perspectives, which completely demolish the oft-heard rants that American suburbia is a social, economic, and esthetic horror unique in human history. Second, Bruegmann brings a lot of accurately handled numbers to bear on the core question of populations and settlement densities, both current and historical. And he footnotes where you can chase them down yourself.
As a corollary to the above, he shows how few anti-sprawl polemics show any understanding of population dynamics, or even how cities actually work in the real world, as opposed to cherished myths, mostly leftist. Third, he nails perfectly the fact that anti-sprawl sentiment - like anti-WalMart sentiment - always boils down to thinly disguised class prejudice. (Funny, isn't it, that you never hear complaints about WalMart or suburbia from blue-collar families, or those for whom a move to the 'burbs means a step up in living standards.) Negatives? I would have liked more illustrations - maps, diagrams, photos, etc. - especially in the historical sections. But those provided do the job perfectly well.
This is a great book that will attract a lot of criticism, rants, and negative comments. But no one with an opinion on sprawl can afford not to read it. Bruegmann's bottom line on sprawl? It began with the first human settlements, and won't end until cities themselves cease to exist - or humans stop being human.