Description
With over 80 percent of Americans now living in cities and suburbs, getting our communities right has never been more important, more complicated, or more fascinating. Longtime sustainability leader Kaid Benfield shares 25 enlightening and entertaining essays about the wondrous ecology of human settlement, and how to make it better for both people and the planet.People Habitat explores topics as diverse as “green” housing developments that are no such thing, the tricky matter of gentrifying inner cities, why people don’t walk much anymore, and the relationship between cities and religion. Written with intellect, insight, and from-the-heart candor, each real-world story in People Habitat will make you see our communities in a new light.
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Benfield presents this collection of essays on constructing cities in such a way as to be both environmentally friendly and conducive to human happiness by conceiving of them as our "habitat." Based on years of the author's imagination and observation of urban environments, 25 topics cover critique of supposedly "green" practices, ways to address revitalization projects and direct growth without succumbing to gentrification, making cities hospitable with greenery and effective transportation options, building community, design efficiency, and strategy for sustainability over both time and space. The epilogue discusses the relationship between the people habitat of cities, the wild landscape, and the cultivated yet non-urban landscapes of sparsely populated rural areas. Distributed by Island Press. Annotation ©2014 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)
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