Download or read book Downtown America written by Alison Isenberg and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2009-05-15 with total page 464 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Downtown America was once the vibrant urban center romanticized in the Petula Clark song—a place where the lights were brighter, where people went to spend their money and forget their worries. But in the second half of the twentieth century, "downtown" became a shadow of its former self, succumbing to economic competition and commercial decline. And the death of Main Streets across the country came to be seen as sadly inexorable, like the passing of an aged loved one. Downtown America cuts beneath the archetypal story of downtown's rise and fall and offers a dynamic new story of urban development in the United States. Moving beyond conventional narratives, Alison Isenberg shows that downtown's trajectory was not dictated by inevitable free market forces or natural life-and-death cycles. Instead, it was the product of human actors—the contested creation of retailers, developers, government leaders, architects, and planners, as well as political activists, consumers, civic clubs, real estate appraisers, even postcard artists. Throughout the twentieth century, conflicts over downtown's mundane conditions—what it should look like and who should walk its streets—pointed to fundamental disagreements over American values. Isenberg reveals how the innovative efforts of these participants infused Main Street with its resonant symbolism, while still accounting for pervasive uncertainty and fears of decline. Readers of this work will find anything but a story of inevitability. Even some of the downtown's darkest moments—the Great Depression's collapse in land values, the rioting and looting of the 1960s, or abandonment and vacancy during the 1970s—illuminate how core cultural values have animated and intertwined with economic investment to reinvent the physical form and social experiences of urban commerce. Downtown America—its empty stores, revitalized marketplaces, and romanticized past—will never look quite the same again. A book that does away with our most clichéd approaches to urban studies, Downtown America will appeal to readers interested in the history of the United States and the mythology surrounding its most cherished institutions. A Choice Oustanding Academic Title. Winner of the 2005 Ellis W. Hawley Prize from the Organization of American Historians. Winner of the 2005 Lewis Mumford Prize for Best Book in American Planning History. Winner of the 2005 Historic Preservation Book Price from the University of Mary Washington Center for Historic Preservation. Named 2005 Honor Book from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities.
Download or read book Downtown Inc written by Bernard J. Frieden and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 1991-07-01 with total page 444 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pioneering observers of the urban landscape Bernard Frieden and Lynne Sagalyn delve into the inner workings of the exciting new public entrepreneurship and public-private partnerships that have revitalized the downtowns of such cities as Boston, San Diego, Seattle, St. Paul, and Pasadena.
Download or read book Walkable City written by Jeff Speck and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2013-11-12 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Presents a plan for American cities that focuses on making downtowns walkable and less attractive to drivers through smart growth and sustainable design
Download or read book Downtown written by Robert M. Fogelson and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2001-10-01 with total page 811 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Winner of a Lewis Mumford Prize: “Extremely engaging reading for those interested in the history of cities and urban experience.” —Booklist Written by one of this country’s foremost urban historians, Downtown is the first history of what was once viewed as the heart of the American city. It tells the fascinating story of how downtown—and the way Americans thought about downtown—changed over time. By showing how businessmen and property owners worked to promote the well-being of downtown, even at the expense of other parts of the city, it also gives a riveting account of spatial politics in urban America. Drawing on a wide array of contemporary sources, Robert M. Fogelson brings downtown to life, first as the business district, then as the central business district, and finally as just another business district. His book vividly recreates the long-forgotten battles over subways and skyscrapers in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. And it provides a fresh, often startling perspective on elevated highways, parking bans, urban redevelopment, and other controversial issues. This groundbreaking book will be a revelation to scholars, city planners, policymakers, and anyone interested in American cities and American history. “A thorough and accomplished history.” —The Washington Post Book World "Superlative . . . a vital contribution to the study of American life.” —Publishers Weekly “A superbly thorough analysis of the causes of inner-city blight, congestion, and economic decline in mid-20th century urban America.” —Library Journal Includes photographs
Download or read book Building Downtown Los Angeles written by Leland T. Saito and published by Stanford University Press. This book was released on 2022-07-26 with total page 351 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the 1970s on, Los Angeles was transformed into a center for entertainment, consumption, and commerce for the affluent. Mirroring the urban development trend across the nation, new construction led to the displacement of low-income and working-class racial minorities, as city officials targeted these neighborhoods for demolition in order to spur economic growth and bring in affluent residents. Responding to the displacement, there emerged a coalition of unions, community organizers, and faith-based groups advocating for policy change. In Building Downtown Los Angeles Leland Saito traces these two parallel trends through specific construction projects and the backlash they provoked. He uses these events to theorize the past and present processes of racial formation and the racialization of place, drawing new insights on the relationships between race, place, and policy. Saito brings to bear the importance of historical events on contemporary processes of gentrification and integrates the fluidity of racial categories into his analysis. He explores these forces in action, as buyers and entrepreneurs meet in the real estate marketplace, carrying with them a fraught history of exclusion and vast disparities in wealth among racial groups.
Download or read book Downtown Phoenix written by J. Seth Anderson and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2012-01-02 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On a bed of a primordial ocean floor and in a valley surrounded by jagged mountains, a city was founded atop the ruins of a vanished civilization. In 1867, former Confederate soldier Jack Swilling saw the remains of an ancient canal system and the potential for the area to blossom into a thriving agricultural center. Pioneers moved into the settlement searching for new opportunities, and on October 20, 1870, residents living in adobe structures that lined dirt streets adopted the name Phoenix, expressing the optimism of the frontier. For decades, downtown Phoenix was a dense urban core, the hub of agricultural fields, mining settlements, and military posts. Unfortunately, suburban sprawl and other social factors of the post–World War II era led to the center’s decline. With time, things changed, and now downtown Phoenix is uniquely positioned to rise again as a prominent 21st-century American city.
Download or read book Downtown Roanoke written by Nelson Harris and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2004 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Downtown Roanoke celebrates the vibrant history of a community that lies at the heart of the scenic Roanoke Valley. From the saloons and livery stables of the late 19th century to the flagship department stores that attracted hundreds of shoppers in the late 1950s, Roanoke has experienced dramatic change. Over 200 archival images have been compiled to produce a stunning collage of the downtown area over the past century. Included are the American Theater, the Rialto, the Jefferson, and the time-altered streetscapes of Jefferson, Campbell, Kirk, and Church. This collection highlights the storied past of Roanoke through hotels, hospitals, churches, merchants, and special events, including the American Legion parades, the Diamond Jubilee, and the march of the VMI and VPI cadets at Thanksgiving en route to Victory Stadium. Downtown Roanoke is a tribute to the heritage of Southwestern Virginia's leading urban center. Today it remains a metropolitan district alive with culture and commerce, having re-emerged from the challenges of shopping malls and suburbia. The photographs in this collection, many published for the first time, provide a nostalgic look at the progress of Roanoke's historic downtown corridor.
Download or read book Chicago s Polish Downtown written by Victoria Granacki and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2004-07-21 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Polish Downtown is Chicago's oldest Polish settlement and was the capital of American Polonia from the 1870s through the first half of the 20th century. Nearly all Polish undertakings of any consequence in the U.S. during that time either started or were directed from this part of Chicago's near northwest side. This book illustrates the first 75 years of this influential Polish neighborhood. Featured are some of the most beautiful churches in Chicago-St. Stanislaus Kostka, Holy Trinity, and St. John Cantius-stunning examples of Renaissance and Baroque Revival architecture that form part of the largest concentration of Polish parishes in Chicago. The headquarters for almost every major Polish organization in America were clustered within blocks of each other, and four Polish-language daily newspapers were published here. The heart of the photographic collection in this book is from the extensive library and archives of the Polish Museum of America, still located in the neighborhood.
Download or read book Reimagining Greenville written by John Boyanoski and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2017-12-04 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: People everywhere have hailed downtown Greenville as one of the best in America. From its tree-lined Main Street to its bustling riverfront to the gardens around its cascading waterfalls, the city inspired numerous other cities to try and duplicate its success. Using unique public-private partnerships, the revitalization of downtown Greenville was a true collaborative effort that helped to create a walkable and livable downtown. The city also boasts amazing modern and traditional art as well as a host of top-notch restaurants. Once considered just a business-only town, Greenville has emerged as a metropolitan destination. In this updated edition, authors John Boyanoski and Mayor Knox White detail the toils and tribulations that produced a world-class city.
Download or read book The Heart of the City written by Alexander Garvin and published by . This book was released on 2019-05-07 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Downtowns are more than economic engines: they are repositories of knowledge and culture and generators of new ideas, technology, and ventures. They are the heart of the city that drives its future. If we are to have healthy downtowns, we need to understand what downtown is all about; how and why some American downtowns never stopped thriving (such as San Jose and Houston), some have been in decline for half a century (including Detroit and St. Louis), and still others are resurging after temporary decline (many, including Lower Manhattan and Los Angeles). The downtowns that are prospering are those that more easily adapt to changing needs and lifestyles. In The Heart of the City, distinguished urban planner Alexander Garvin shares lessons on how to plan for a mix of housing, businesses, and attractions; enhance the public realm; improve mobility; and successfully manage downtown services. Garvin opens the book with diagnoses of downtowns across the United States, including the people, businesses, institutions, and public agencies implementing changes. In a review of prescriptions and treatments for any downtown, Garvin shares brief accounts--of both successes and failures--of what individuals with very different objectives have done to change their downtowns. The final chapters look at what is possible for downtowns in the future, closing with suggested national, state, and local legislation to create standard downtown business improvement districts to better manage downtowns. This book will help public officials, civic organizations, downtown business property owners, and people who care about cities learn from successful recent actions in downtowns across the country, and expand opportunities facing their downtown. Garvin provides recommendations for continuing actions to help any downtown thrive, ensuring a prosperous and thrilling future for the 21st-century American city.
Download or read book Everyday America written by Chris Wilson and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2003-03-03 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A collection of seventeen essays examining the field of American cultural landscapes past and present. The role of J. B. Jackson and his influence on the field is a explored in many of them.
Download or read book Edith Halpert the Downtown Gallery and the Rise of American Art written by Rebecca Shaykin and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2019-10-11 with total page 233 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents the fascinating untold story of art-world tastemaker Edith Halpert, who sold, promoted, and effectively defined American art in the 20th century.
Download or read book San Jose s Historic Downtown written by Lauren Miranda Gilbert and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2004 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: San Jose is the "Capital of the Silicon Valley," the high-rise, economic engine of advanced technology. Yet it was once a verdant valley, inhabited by wildlife, waterfowl, and the native Ohlone people. The Spanish who founded California's first civilian settlement here in 1777 named it for Saint Joseph, the patron saint of the Spanish Expedition. Their farms fed the soldiers at the Monterey and San Francisco presidios, beginning an agricultural industry that thrived for nearly 200 years. Although serving briefly as California's first state capital, for many decades downtown was the somewhat sleepy commercial center of the Santa Clara Valley. A housing and population expansion that began in the 1950s exploded with San Jose's rebirth as a technological mecca.
Download or read book Downtown Everett written by M. L. Dehm and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2005 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Situated on a deep-water bay, Everett's timber-covered peninsula was irresistible to early investors. Natural resources were abundant, and it was whispered that the Great Northern Railroad would soon make this hidden treasure its final destination. Hopes were high and money began to exchange hands. But the Panic of 1893 was right around the corner. Everett never would achieve the “big city” grandeur that Eastern speculators had originally predicted. Nevertheless, the sturdy city by Port Gardner Bay withstood financial panic, depressions, and riots to become the proud seat of Snohomish County. Once heralded as the “Pittsburgh of the West” and the “City of Smokestacks,” Everett remains a dynamic city of industry.
Download or read book Urban Design Downtown written by Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 1998-10-19 with total page 382 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Insightful and a delight to read, the book should be read by city officials, land developers, and anyone involved or merely interested in the evolution and design of urban form and space."—Richard T. Lai, Arizona State University
Download or read book Old Sacramento and Downtown written by and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2006 with total page 134 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The discovery of gold launched a rush of humanity to California's Sierra foothills and many of those miners and minerals flowed into a settlement that grew where the American and Sacramento Rivers meet. Today downtown and Old Sacramento, a 28-acre state historic district, are thriving, graced by such treasures as the restored State Capitol Building, the art deco Tower Bridge, and scores of historic structures and attractions like the Leland Stanford Mansion and the California State Railroad Museum.
Download or read book Downtown written by Pete Hamill and published by Little, Brown. This book was released on 2004-12-01 with total page 326 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this "beautifully written, sharply observed, and heartfelt" guide to his hometown (New York Times), legendary New York City journalist Pete Hamill leads us on an unforgettable journey through the city he loves. Walking the Manhattan streets he loves, from Times Square to the island’s southern tip, Pete Hamill combines a moving memoir of his own days and nights in new York with a lively and revealing history of the city’s most enduring places and people. “Pete Hamill lovingly captures the vibrant sights, sounds, and smells of Manhattan from Battery Park to midtown, the most important, most exciting stretch of real estate in the world.” --New York Daily News
