Cities by John Lorinc

Product Details

Synopsis

Cities have always been the incubators of new ideas, economic innovation, and social reform. But recent demands and expectations placed on cities and their citizens are unprecedented: everything from chronic poverty and homelessness to massive energy consumption and nonstop suburban sprawl. In this timely book, cities specialist John Lorinc considers the enormous implications of the worldwide mass migration away from rural regions. He shows how solutions can emerge from neighborhoods and dynamic networks linking communities to governments and the broader urban world. Beyond the search for better housing, transit, economic opportunity, and security within neighborhoods, today’s city-dwellers confront a fundamental question about what it means to live in our urban world. How do people from vastly different cultures and economic circumstances learn to accommodate one another's needs within the confines of very dense and complex mega-cities? This book offers a well-reasoned, creative answer to that question.

Children's Literature

The evolution of cities can be traced to the evolution of society and humans' changing perspectives about what is important. There are several distinct types of cities, each springing up to fill a specific need in society and evolving to fit the trends and functions that humans deem important. Some cities have grown around traditional centers of worship. Over the course of centuries, they can evolve into centers of commerce and world trade, and yet still retain the religious importance. Cities face increasing danger from urban sprawl, which can cause an increase in crime, a strain on natural resources, and a heightened risk of danger from terrorists' attacks. Lorinc provides an in-depth look at cities, how they evolved, and the difficulties they face in today's global society. The text is quite in-depth and provides an interesting look into cities, but the dense nature of the text makes this a resource unsuitable for anyone under the age of 16. Reviewer: Danielle Williams