What Americans Build And Why

Examines five areas of Americans' built environment and looks at the relationships of size and scale to the way Americans live their lives.

Examines five areas of Americans' built environment and looks at the relationships of size and scale to the way Americans live their lives.

This work follows the evolution of the pattern book houses and how they represented the notion of home and community in American historical memory. The book also includes illustrations of such communities.

A leading conservative intellectual argues that to renew America we must recommit to our institutions Americans are living through a social crisis. Our politics is polarized and bitterly divided. Culture wars rage on campus, in the media, social media, and other arenas of our common life. And for too many Americans, alienation can descend into despair, weakening families and communities and even driving an explosion of opioid abuse. Left and right alike have responded with populist anger at our institutions, and use only metaphors of destruction to describe the path forward: cleaning house, draining swamps. But, as Yuval Levin argues, this is a misguided prescription, rooted in a defective diagnosis. The social crisis we confront is defined not by an oppressive presence but by a debilitating absence of the forces that unite us and militate against alienation. As Levin argues, now is not a time to tear down, but rather to build and rebuild by committing ourselves to the institutions around us. From the military to churches, from families to schools, these institutions provide the forms and structures we need to be free. By taking concrete steps to help them be more trustworthy, we can renew the ties that bind Americans to one another.

"Some anthologies seem slapdash or opportunistic; others are labors of love, informed by a mastery of a particular field and a passion for sharing the heterogeneous richness of their documents. "Building the Nation" is happily one of the latter. . . . Vastly useful."--"Preservation"

Finalist in the Business Management and Leadership Category of the International Book Awards 2021 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In this new, extensively updated second edition, authors Allyson Stewart-Allen and Lanie Denslow accurately capture the current US business environment and its changes since their best-selling 1st edition published in 2002. You’ll find even more insights into the American business mindset, diversity and regions building on the acclaimed first edition so you can confidently negotiate, communicate and influence in the world’s largest, most profitable and complex marketplace. Alongside their examination of the impact of 5 generations in today’s US workforce, the authors explore the complex issues faced by American bosses including: levels of transparency expected of organizations in how they do business, ranging from ethics of their supply chain, to the treatment of employees via social media, equal pay expectations or the personal views of their executives on environmental, social, governance or political events ever declining workforce loyalty resulting from perceived job insecurity younger employees’ quest for visibility, interesting projects and rapid promotion consumer and customer expectations as standard for extensive personalization and customization of products and services Anybody who has ever done business with Americans can testify that there are more differences than similarities between the US business culture and those in the rest of the world. Whether it’s values, etiquette, communication, influencing or negotiating, there’s a clear American style. How you go about building successful and profitable business relationships in the US should be guided by the many important lessons and insights offered in this essential reference guide. Whether new to working with Americans or an experienced internationalist, this book will serve as your ready reference for connecting with US colleagues, clients, customers or consultants.

Rising on the National Mall next to the Washington Monument, the National Museum of African American History and Culture is a tiered bronze beacon inviting everyone to learn about the richness and diversity of the African American experience and how it helped shape this nation. Begin with the Past: Building the National Museum of African American History and Culture is the story of how this unparalleled museum found its place in the nation’s collective memory and on its public commons. Begin with the Past presents the long history of efforts to build a permanent place to collect, study, and present African American history and culture. In 2003 the museum was officially established at long last, yet the work of the museum was only just beginning. The book traces the appointment of the director, the selection of the site, and the process of conceiving, designing, and constructing a public monument to the achievements and contributions of African Americans. The careful selection of architects, designers, and engineers culminated in a museum that embodies African American sensibilities about space, form, and material and incorporates rich cultural symbols into the design of the building and its surrounding landscape. The National Museum of African American History and Culture is a place for all Americans to understand our past and embrace our future, and this book is a testament to the inspiration and determination that went into creating this unique place.

It's time for America to move beyond zoning, argues city planner M. Nolan Gray in Arbitrary Lines: How Zoning Broke the American City and How to Fix It. With lively explanations, Gray shows why zoning abolition is a necessary--if not sufficient--condition for building more affordable, vibrant, equitable, and sustainable cities. Gray lays the groundwork for this ambitious cause by clearing up common misconceptions about how American cities regulate growth and examining four contemporary critiques of zoning (its role in increasing housing costs, restricting growth in our most productive cities, institutionalizing racial and economic segregation, and mandating sprawl). He sets out some of the efforts currently underway to reform zoning and charts how land-use regulation might work in the post-zoning American city. Arbitrary Lines is an invitation to rethink the rules that will continue to shape American life--where we may live or work, who we may encounter, how we may travel. If the task seems daunting, the good news is that we have nowhere to go but up