On the Trail of Patrick Geddes


Book Description

Part of a series of guides following key figures and themes, Walter Stephen explores the life and theories of the Scottish biologist, sociologist, geographer, philanthropist and urban planner, Sir Patrick Geddes. His renewal work in Edinburgh's Old Town is as visible and impressive today as it was in the 19th and 20th centuries and his concepts such as 'Think Global, Act Local' are just as relevant. The author is an authority on Patrick Geddes and this book forms part of the On the Trail series.




Lewis Mumford and Patrick Geddes


Book Description

First published in 1995. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.




Benton Mackaye


Book Description

The life of the visionary conservationist who created the Appalachian Trail is chronicled in this “first-rate biography of a unique American thinker” (Mark Harvey, Journal of American History). Born in 1879, Wilderness Society cofounder Benton MacKaye was a pioneer in linking the concepts of preservation and recreation. Spanning three-quarters of a century, his career had a major impact on emerging movements in conservation, environmentalism, and regional planning. MacKaye's seminal ideas on outdoor recreation, wilderness protection, land-use planning, community development, and transportation have inspired generations of activists, professionals, and adventurers seeking to strike a harmonious balance between human need and the natural environment. This pathbreaking biography provides the first complete portrait of this significant figure in American environmental, intellectual, and cultural history. Drawing on extensive research, Larry Anderson traces MacKaye's extensive career, examines his many published works, and describes the importance of MacKaye's relationships with such influential figures as Lewis Mumford, Aldo Leopold, and Walter Lippmann.




Tangled Roots


Book Description

The Appalachian Trail, a thin ribbon of wilderness running through the densely populated eastern United States, offers a refuge from modern society and a place apart from human ideas and institutions. But as environmental historian—and thru-hiker—Sarah Mittlefehldt argues, the trail is also a conduit for community engagement and a model for public-private cooperation and environmental stewardship. In Tangled Roots, Mittlefehldt tells the story of the trail’s creation. The project was one of the first in which the National Park Service attempted to create public wilderness space within heavily populated, privately owned lands. Originally a regional grassroots endeavor, under federal leadership the trail project retained unprecedented levels of community involvement. As citizen volunteers came together and entered into conversation with the National Parks Service, boundaries between “local” and “nonlocal,” “public” and “private,” “amateur” and “expert” frequently broke down. Today, as Mittlefehldt tells us, the Appalachian Trail remains an unusual hybrid of public and private efforts and an inspiring success story of environmental protection. Watch the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFyhuGqbCGc




Humanizing Cities Through Car-Free City Development and Transformation


Book Description

The heavy dependency on private cars has shaped the design of cities. While offering fast, comfortable, and convenient commutes, cars have become the most popular method of transportation, but are also a health crisis due to the toxic emissions they release into the atmosphere as well as the high death toll from traffic accidents. For these reasons, there is a need to minimize the use of cars within cities in favor of greener and humanized urban design that would improve the quality of life and reduce the global threat of climate change. Humanizing Cities Through Car-Free City Development and Transformation is an essential publication that explores the concepts of car-free cities and city humanization as possible solutions to reduce the deteriorating effect on the environment and the community. The publication discusses the urban initiative to implement pedestrianization and humanization of cities and public spaces to promote the concept of car-free living. Featuring coverage on a wide range of topics including city humanization, smart mobility, and urban policies, this book is ideally designed for urban planners, environmentalists, government officials, policymakers, architects, transportation authorities, researchers, academicians, and students.




Stretching the Sociological Imagination


Book Description

This edited collection calls for renewed attention to the concept of the sociological imagination, allowing social scientists to link private issues to public troubles. Inspired by the eminent Glasgow-based sociologist, John Eldridge, it re-engages with the concept and shows how it can be applied to analyzing society today.




The Worlds of Patrick Geddes


Book Description

First published in 1978, The Worlds of Patrick Geddes is a study of Patrick Geddes’ thought and action, his relationships and his life, as someone who defied labelling and who was years ahead of his contemporaries. The work of Patrick Geddes (1854-1932) is coming to be more and more widely appreciated, as his ideas on many diverse subjects are being gradually assimilated into the mainstream of modern thought. Geddes has been confidently labelled as a biologist, town-planner, sociologist and educator; but he was all of these and more. This book will be of interest to students of biology, urban planning and sociology.




Regional Visionaries and Metropolitan Boosters


Book Description

This book is an examination of two conflicting regional planning ideologies and the impact of this conflict on the development of two regional parkways. I hypothesize that regional parkways of the 1920s and 1930s emerged out of these two visions of regional planning - regionalism and metropolitanism. The regional view coalesced around the work of Benton MacKaye, Lewis Mumford, and the Regional Planning Association of America. The metropolitan viewpoint, while less definable, grew out of the market-oriented economic boosterism efforts associated with early twentieth century planning. This view found literal and philosophical support with Thomas Adams and the Regional Plan of New York and Its Environs. In an effort to flesh out the competing theories and the development of the regional parkway, I discuss the history of the Skyline Drive and the proposed Green Mountain Parkway. In addition to supplementing the planning history and theory literature, I try to inform on issues important to the contemporary planning profession. The regional visionaries viewed their regional work as a social reform effort. The metropolitanists wanted to tweak the market so as to provide for a minimized congestion and economic hardship for the greatest number of citizens. This "vision versus reality" still troubles the profession today, especially in the areas of sustainable development, growth management, and "smart growth. " Matthew Dalbey Jackson, Mississippi March 2002 Chapter 1 Decentralization and Regional Planning Practical and Ideological Problems 1.




Bob Henderson's Trails and Tales 4-Book Bundle


Book Description

Hit the trails with naturalist and raconteur Bob Henderson in this four-book bundle! From folklore to heritage, with a hefty dose of the Scandinavian outdoor-living ethos of friluftsliv, Henderson fires the imagination, urging Ontarians to reignite their relationship with nature. Includes: Every Trail Has a Story More Trails More Tales Nature First Pike’s Portage




Learning from the Lasses


Book Description

In his time his revolutionary ideas appealed to women and he was surrounded by more than a generation of clever and forceful women. One who could say that 'life is not really a gladiators' show; it is rather a vast mothers' meeting!' could not fail to attract followers. WALTER STEPHEN Patrick Geddes - Sociologist, Town Planner, Biologist, Peace Warrior. It is well known that this extraordinary Scot shaped the cityscape of Edinburgh, but for the first time Walter Stephen turns the lens onto the strong, wilful women who influenced the revolutionary man - and who were in turn influenced by him. From his wife and mother in Scotland, to a nun in India and a Marchioness in Ireland, this insightful volume shows the wide range of women across the globe whose lives intertwined with Geddes's, whether professionally or personally. Delving deeper into Geddes's personal life than ever before, Walter Stephen and his fellow Modern Geddesians go beyond the surface of the Scotsman's acclaimed works to reveal the female characters that shaped him throughout his life. Contributors include: Veronica Burbridge, Sian Reynolds, Anne-Michelle Slater, Kenny Munro, Swami Narasimhananda, Sofia Leonard, Kenneth MacLean, Robert Morris and Kate Henderson. A well-researched and thoughtfully written book. SCOTTISH REVIEW OF BOOKS on The Evolution of Evolution [The book] makes the reader realise in what esteem Geddes should be held, not just in Scotland, but across the globe. LALLANS MAGAZINE on A Vigorous Institution