Transforming Towns

Towns have undergone dramatic and rapid change over the last century. Declining historic cores are surrounded by sprawling low-density housing, industrial and retail estates. The character and sense of place at the heart of rural towns and villages is under threat. By drawing people away from town centres, these developments erode the sense of community and public life. This book demonstrates how contemporary architecture, community engagement and thoughtful urban design can contribute to the creation of thriving small communities. It addresses a lack of inspiration and ideas for architects and designers working in small communities and promotes a character-based approach to designing and planning 21st century towns.

The aim of this book is to examine the transformation of the geography of China in the years since the start of China's policy of reform and opening-up in 1978, as seen through the eyes of Chinese geographers. Throughout that period, Chinese geographers have studied these environmental, economic, political and cultural processes closely, drawing on sources that are far from easy to access, and have published their results in Chinese. Much of this research has underpinned the Chinese government's assessment of policies and the policy choices at different levels, yet it is not well known outside of China. This volume deals with aspects of the socio-economic geography of China's transformation including its changing relations with the rest of the world, although it also deals with the impact of China's development path on the country's ecological systems. Each chapter deals with aggregate trends and specific cases to show the ways in which the particular characteristics of China's economic and social order (economic organization, political system and cultural model and values) have shaped and are shaped by its geography.

2004 winner of the Robert E. Park Book Award from the Community and Urban Sociology Section (CUSS) of the American Sociological Association Although the death of the small town has been predicted for decades, during the 1990s the population of rural America actually increased by more than three million people. In this book, Sonya Salamon explores these rural newcomers and the impact they have on the social relationships, public spaces, and community resources of small town America. Salamon draws on richly detailed ethnographic studies of six small towns in central Illinois, including a town with upscale subdivisions that lured wealthy professionals as well as towns whose agribusinesses drew working-class Mexicano migrants and immigrants. She finds that regardless of the class or ethnicity of the newcomers, if their social status differs relative to that of oldtimers, their effect on a town has been the same: suburbanization that erodes the close-knit small town community, with especially severe consequences for small town youth. To successfully combat the homogenization of the heartland, Salamon argues, newcomers must work with oldtimers so that together they sustain the vital aspects of community life and identity that first drew them to small towns. An illustration of the recent revitalization of interest in the small town, Salamon's work provides a significant addition to the growing literature on the subject. Social scientists, sociologists, policymakers, and urban planners will appreciate this important contribution to the ongoing discussion of social capital and the transformation in the study and definition of communities.

Cities can be transformed by better quality public space and Revival in the Square explains how to do it. In a clear and accessible way, it provides an insight into how design strategies for public spaces can revive our cities. The book is based on real experience and provides an effective bridge between strategy and action on the ground. Endorsed by Richard Rogers, international architect and chief adviser to the Mayor of London and by Jon Rouse, chief executive of the Housing Corporation, Revival in the Square is highly relevant to anyone interested in the role of public squares in urban regeneration. The book demonstrates how uncluttered and joined up public spaces can be built to promote civic values and commercial competitiveness and how squares can bring people together for a more positive, shared experience of urban living. It gives practical guidance on creating the high quality public space that is required for an urban renaissance. Fully illustrated throughout with international examples of best practice, Revival in the Square is an important contribution that links strategy and design to the delivery of a better built environment. Revival in the Square demonstrates how the city square has always been at the heart of public urban life. In today's world, as cities compete in the global market place, their image and quality of life are increasingly important. Governments around the world are encouraging city authorities to work with the private sector to invest in regeneration and urban design - and new city squares are providing a focus for this activity. The various governmental, professional and commercial organizations involved with the design, development and management of public space have traditionally been divided into separate disciplines, resulting in a fragmented system characterized by communication gaps between the main stakeholders. Transforming Cities: Revival in the Square explains how to close the gaps through strategic leadership, management, and high quality design - all helping the delivery of an urban renaissance. The book has two main themes. Firstly, it is about how the decision-making infrastructure can be improved; secondly, it is about the physical design and management required to create and maintain sustainable public spaces. The book shows that if people are to be aware of the complexity and variety of the society they are a part of, and if they are to appreciate notions of civic identity and respect for others, there must be a place they can occasionally see and experience a diverse cross section of that society - and this is one of the key functions of the city square.

Rosemary Wakeman's original survey text comprehensively explores modern European urban history from 1815 to the present day. It provides a journey to cities and towns across the continent, in search of the patterns of development that have shaped the urban landscape as indelibly European. The focus is on the built environment, the social and cultural transformations that mark the patterns of continuity and change, and the transition to modern urban society. Including over 60 images that serve to illuminate the analysis, the book examines whether there is a European city, and if so, what are its characteristics? Wakeman offers an interdisciplinary approach that incorporates concepts from cultural and postcolonial studies, as well as urban geography, and provides full coverage of urban society not only in western Europe, but also in eastern and southern Europe, using various cities and city types to inform the discussion. The book provides detailed coverage of the often-neglected urbanization post-1945 which allows us to more clearly understand the modernizing arc Europe has followed over the last two centuries.

'Transforming Cities with Transit' explores the complex process of transit and land-use integration and provides policy recommendations and implementation strategies for effective integration in rapidly growing cities in developing countries.

A pioneering book highlighting the dynamic environmental dimensions of towns and villages and spatial connections with surrounding land.

This book examines Nordic cities from 1850 and their transformation from traditional, oligarchic towns to modern, inclusive welfare cities. In the contemporary world, the role of cities as hotbeds for progressive change has become increasingly topical. Historical studies on how Nordic cities addressed social and environmental questions a hundred years ago and how they eventually created new and inclusive policies for the future is a useful contribution to the current debate. The concept of the welfare city is addressed and elaborated upon to analyse the attempts by urban authorities to solve the problems following industrialization and urbanization. From the late nineteenth century, municipal public services promoted the integration of new groups in the urban community including workers, immigrants, women and children. The contributions in this book analyse various examples of welfare and public services that include infrastructure and transport systems, health care, housing conditions, outdoor life and entertainment. The chapters highlight the arguments and considerations promoting welfare policies, while also addressing differences between the Nordic countries. The evolution of the Nordic welfare city was a process of several overlapping phases or dimensions. This volume will be of value to students and scholars alike interested in urban history, social and cultural history and European history.