Publisher Description

"A love song for the city . . . [this] volume, attractivelypackaged and richly illustrated, is really a cookbook for downtownrevitalization." --Wall Street Journal

In this pioneering book on successful urban recovery, two urbanexperts draw on their firsthand observations of downtown changeacross the country to identify a flexible, effective approach tourban rejuvenation. From transportation planning and sprawlcontainment to the threat of superstore retailers, they address ahost of key issues facing our cities today.

Roberta Brandes Gratz (New York, NY), an award-winning journalistand urban critic, is author of the urban design classic The LivingCity. A former staff reporter for the New York Post, Gratz haswritten for the New York Times Magazine and other publications.Norman Mintz (New York, NY) has played a leading role in the fieldof downtown revitalization for more than twenty-five years. He isDesign Director at the 34th Street Partnership in New York City anda consultant on downtown revitalization across the country.

Back Cover

Gratz takes us on tours of places that are doing better and actually getting somewhere, because, against all odds, they have abandoned conventional wisdom's unworkable and oversimplified formulas and re-embraced new opportunities as complex and rewarding as life itself. It's roll-up-our-sleeves time in America, folks, and now we have no more excuses. Roberta Gratz has assembled the examples worth learning from, and her book is an excellent teacher." -- Tony Hiss author of The Experience of Place "Roberta Gratz is wonderful at discovering important things that are going on that most of us have not heard of yet." -- Jane Jacobs author of Death and Life of Great American Cities "I read the newspaper differently every day since I read this book." --Anthony Mancini author, professor of journalism at Brooklyn College, and former reporter for the New York Post After decades of decline and decay, scores of downtowns in urban America are coming to life once again. Others continue to languish despite massive public investment. In Cities Back from the Edge, acclaimed author Roberta Brandes Gratz teams up with Main Street expert Norman Mintz to tell us why. Based on their firsthand observations of downtown change throughout the country, this book is filled with stories of urban recovery from Mansfield, Ohio to Los Angeles, from Pasco, Washington to SoHo. Rejecting simplistic cookie-cutter prescriptions for success, Gratz and Mintz instead identify a more flexible and effective approach to downtown rejuvenation: Urban Husbandry. They illustrate how this organic, sustainable process is already producing real-world results. What's more, they show the tremendous advantages of low-cost, modest initiatives over the blockbuster resuscitation efforts of traditional large-scale Project Planning--the budget-busting convention centers, aquariums, stadiums, and other stand-alone solutions that do little to improve the city around them. Throughout this book the authors address the key issues facing the nation's cities and towns today, including transportation planning and sprawl containment, the threat of big-box superstore retailers, and the preservation of the essential downtown components necessary to anchor a thriving, vibrant community. Gratz and Mintz show us that rebuilding authentic places, reconnecting communities, and stimulating innovative change are within everyone's reach. Cities Back from the Edge turns the spotlight on the resurgence of downtown America in a new and insightful way. With proven ideas on how to correct the mistakes of the past several decades, this book offers new hope that our cities will not merely be rebuilt--but reborn.

Flap

Gratz takes us on tours of places that are doing better and actually getting somewhere, because, against all odds, they have abandoned conventional wisdom's unworkable and oversimplified formulas and re-embraced new opportunities as complex and rewarding as life itself. It's roll-up-our-sleeves time in America, folks, and now we have no more excuses. Roberta Gratz has assembled the examples worth learning from, and her book is an excellent teacher." -- Tony Hiss author of The Experience of Place "Roberta Gratz is wonderful at discovering important things that are going on that most of us have not heard of yet." -- Jane Jacobs author of Death and Life of Great American Cities "I read the newspaper differently every day since I read this book." --Anthony Mancini author, professor of journalism at Brooklyn College, and former reporter for the New York Post After decades of decline and decay, scores of downtowns in urban America are coming to life once again. Others continue to languish despite massive public investment. In Cities Back from the Edge, acclaimed author Roberta Brandes Gratz teams up with Main Street expert Norman Mintz to tell us why. Based on their firsthand observations of downtown change throughout the country, this book is filled with stories of urban recovery from Mansfield, Ohio to Los Angeles, from Pasco, Washington to SoHo. Rejecting simplistic cookie-cutter prescriptions for success, Gratz and Mintz instead identify a more flexible and effective approach to downtown rejuvenation: Urban Husbandry. They illustrate how this organic, sustainable process is already producing real-world results. What's more, they show the tremendous advantages of low-cost, modest initiatives over the blockbuster resuscitation efforts of traditional large-scale Project Planning--the budget-busting convention centers, aquariums, stadiums, and other stand-alone solutions that do little to improve the city around them. Throughout this book the authors address the key issues facing the nation's cities and towns today, including transportation planning and sprawl containment, the threat of big-box superstore retailers, and the preservation of the essential downtown components necessary to anchor a thriving, vibrant community. Gratz and Mintz show us that rebuilding authentic places, reconnecting communities, and stimulating innovative change are within everyone's reach. Cities Back from the Edge turns the spotlight on the resurgence of downtown America in a new and insightful way. With proven ideas on how to correct the mistakes of the past several decades, this book offers new hope that our cities will not merely be rebuilt--but reborn.

Author Biography

ROBERTA BRANDES GRATZ, the award-winning journalist and urbancritic, is author of the urban design classic The Living City:Thinking Small in a Big Way. A former staff reporter for the NewYork Post, Gratz has also written for The Wall Street Journal, NewYork Newsday, The Nation, The New York Times Magazine, and otherpublications.

NORMAN MINTZ has played a leading role in the field of downtownrevitalization for more than 25 years. He is Design Director at theGrand Central Partnership in New York City and a consultant ondowntown revitalization across the country.

Table of Contents

WHERE ARE WE?

Mansfield, Ohio--Getting Off the Big Project Merry-Go-Round.

The Mess We Have Made.

Project Planning or Urban Husbandry--The Choice.

TRANSPORTATION AND PLACE.

Death and Rebirth of the Public Realm.

Rebuilding Place, Valuing Transit.

Undoing Sprawl.

BIG, LITTLE, AND PREDATOR.

Free Competition or No Competition?

You Don't Have to Be Wal-Mart to Be Wal-Mart.

To Market, To Market.

DOWNTOWN ESSENTIALS.

Public Buildings, Public Policies.

Back to Basics.

Investing in People.

IT'S HAPPENING.

The SoHo Syndrome.

Conclusion.

Index.

Review

In Cities Back from the Edge, Gratz and Mintz offer a love song forthe city...their volume, attractively packaged and richlyillustrated, is really a cookbook for downtown revitalization. Itturns out the most valuable contribution to urban understanding ofthe year isn't only a book, it's also a bumper sticker: Thinkglobally, act locally."--The Wall Street Journal

Cities Back From the Edge was featured again in The New York Times.Frank Rich writes, "In their new book persuasively arguing for lessgrandiose, more indigenous urban renewal, Roberta Brandes Gratz andNorman Mintz write that a 'collection of visitor attractions doesnot add up to a city' whether those attractions are culturalcenters, convention centers, aquariums, stadiums or enclosedmalls."--The New York Times

"...provides a fascinating insight into the US Urban Designscenario..." (Urban Design, Autumn 2001)

Long Description

Gratz takes us on tours of places that are doing better and actually getting somewhere, because, against all odds, they have abandoned conventional wisdom's unworkable and oversimplified formulas and re-embraced new opportunities as complex and rewarding as life itself. It's roll-up-our-sleeves time in America, folks, and now we have no more excuses. Roberta Gratz has assembled the examples worth learning from, and her book is an excellent teacher." Tony Hiss author of The Experience of Place "Roberta Gratz is wonderful at discovering important things that are going on that most of us have not heard of yet." Jane Jacobs author of Death and Life of Great American Cities "I read the newspaper differently every day since I read this book." Anthony Mancini author, professor of journalism at Brooklyn College, and former reporter for the New York Post After decades of decline and decay, scores of downtowns in urban America are coming to life once again. Others continue to languish despite massive public investment. In Cities Back from the Edge, acclaimed author Roberta Brandes Gratz teams up with Main Street expert Norman Mintz to tell us why. Based on their firsthand observations of downtown change throughout the country, this book is filled with stories of urban recovery from Mansfield, Ohio to Los Angeles, from Pasco, Washington to SoHo. Rejecting simplistic cookie-cutter prescriptions for success, Gratz and Mintz instead identify a more flexible and effective approach to downtown rejuvenation: Urban Husbandry. They illustrate how this organic, sustainable process is already producing real-world results. What's more, they show the tremendous advantages of low-cost, modest initiatives over the blockbuster resuscitation efforts of traditional large-scale Project Planning the budget-busting convention centers, aquariums, stadiums, and other stand-alone solutions that do little to improve the city around them. Throughout this book the authors address the key issues facing the nation's cities and towns today, including transportation planning and sprawl containment, the threat of big-box superstore retailers, and the preservation of the essential downtown components necessary to anchor a thriving, vibrant community. Gratz and Mintz show us that rebuilding authentic places, reconnecting communities, and stimulating innovative change are within everyone's reach. Cities Back from the Edge turns the spotlight on the resurgence of downtown America in a new and insightful way. With proven ideas on how to correct the mistakes of the past several decades, this book offers new hope that our cities will not merely be rebuilt but reborn.

Review Text

In Cities Back from the Edge, Gratz and Mintz offer a love song for the city...their volume, attractively packaged and richly illustrated, is really a cookbook for downtown revitalization. It turns out the most valuable contribution to urban understanding of the year isn't only a book, it's also a bumper sticker: Think globally, act locally."--The Wall Street Journal

Cities Back From the Edge was featured again in The New York Times. Frank Rich writes, "In their new book persuasively arguing for less grandiose, more indigenous urban renewal, Roberta Brandes Gratz and Norman Mintz write that a 'collection of visitor attractions does not add up to a city' whether those attractions are cultural centers, convention centers, aquariums, stadiums or enclosed malls."--The New York Times

"...provides a fascinating insight into the US Urban Design scenario..." (Urban Design, Autumn 2001)

Review Quote

"...provides a fascinating insight into the US Urban Design scenario..." (Urban Design, Autumn 2001)

Promotional "Headline"

"...provides a fascinating insight into the US Urban Design scenario..." (Urban Design, Autumn 2001)

Feature

An incisive, in-depth look at how dozens of communities, downtowns, neighborhoods, main streets, and businesses have found?or are finding?new life across the United States. Written by Roberta Brandes Gratz, award-winning author of the urban design classic The Living City, and Main Street expert Norman Mintz. Offers specific guidelines for change and revitalization. Provides a unique perspective on the state of urban development and resulting quality of life.

Details