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Places of the Heart
- The Psychogeography of Everyday Life
- Narrated by: John Fleming
- Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins
- Categories: Politics & Social Sciences, Politics & Government
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In Palaces for the People, Eric Klinenberg suggests a way forward. He believes that the future of democratic societies rests not simply on shared values but on shared spaces: the libraries, synagogues, and parks where crucial, sometimes life-saving connections, are formed. These are places where people gather, making friends across group lines and strengthening the entire community. Klinenberg calls this the “social infrastructure”: When it is strong, neighborhoods flourish; when it is neglected, as it has been in recent years, families and individuals must fend for themselves.
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A must-read for any avid Reader.
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Performance
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The term gentrification has become a buzzword to describe the changes in urban neighborhoods across the country, but we don't realize just how threatening it is. It means more than the arrival of trendy shops, much-maligned hipsters, and expensive lattes. The very future of American cities as vibrant, equitable spaces hangs in the balance. How to Kill a City takes listeners from the kitchen tables of hurting families who can no longer afford their homes to the corporate boardrooms and political backrooms where destructive housing policies are devised.
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Not just a problem in the United States.
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Walkable City
- How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time
- Written by: Jeff Speck
- Narrated by: Jeff Speck
- Length: 6 hrs and 45 mins
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Overall
-
Performance
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Story
Jeff Speck has dedicated his career to determining what makes cities thrive. And he has boiled it down to one key factor: walkability. The very idea of a modern metropolis evokes visions of bustling sidewalks, vital mass transit, and a vibrant, pedestrian-friendly urban core. But in the typical American city, the car is still king, and downtown is a place that’s easy to drive to but often not worth arriving at. Making walkability happen is relatively easy and cheap; seeing exactly what needs to be done is the trick.
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Street Smart
- The Rise of Cities and the Fall of Cars
- Written by: Samuel I. Schwartz, William Rosen - contributor
- Narrated by: Don Hagen
- Length: 9 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
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Story
With wit and sharp insight, former Traffic Commissioner of New York City, Sam Schwartz a.k.a. "Gridlock Sam", one of the most respected transportation engineers in the world and consummate insider in NYC political circles, uncovers how American cities became so beholden to cars and why the current shift away from that trend will forever alter America's urban landscapes, marking nothing short of a revolution in how we get from place to place.
Publisher's Summary
Our surroundings can powerfully affect our thoughts, emotions, and physical responses, whether we’re awed by the Grand Canyon or Hagia Sophia, panicked in a crowded room, soothed by a walk in the park, or tempted in casinos and shopping malls. In Places of the Heart, Colin Ellard explores how our homes, workplaces, cities, and nature - places we escape to and can’t escape from - have influenced us throughout history and how our brains and bodies respond to different types of real and virtual space. As he describes the insight he and other scientists have gained from new technologies, he assesses the influence these technologies will have on our evolving environment and asks what kind of world we are, and should be, creating.
Colin Ellard is the author of You Are Here: Why We Can Find Our Way to the Moon, but Get Lost in the Mall. A cognitive neuroscientist at the University of Waterloo and director of its urban realities laboratory, he lives in Kitchener, Ontario.
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- Bellepop
- 2019-01-06
Best Book on Urbanism Ever Written
Finally an author talks about the psychological influence that our environment has on us. Where we live, what we see, and even the buildings we interact with on a daily basis can influence how we feel. Colin Ellard has some incredible insights into historical architecture like Stonehenge but also why we love some homes and hate others. A total must read for anyone who cares about their city and themselves.
2 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 2019-05-23
Overall a good and informative book
Sometimes the author goes on talking about what might be quite some time in the future, while I would have hoped for an approach that is more grounded in currently proven knowledge and his expertise. However, overall the book provided me with new, interesting and relevant information on the topic, as promised, and the "future ramblings" do not occupy a significant enough part of the book for me to not recommend it.
1 person found this helpful
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- Pierre Gauthier
- 2019-08-23
Very Disappointing!
Beware! Despite its title, this book does not deal with places or buildings but rather, and in light fashion, with psychology. In fact, the few highlights of this shallow work occur when it deals with actual places, such as Stonehenge, medieval cathedrals or New York’s Lower East Side. Otherwise, it is a collection of generalities, some may even say platitudes. The writing is extremely crafted, to the point of being pompous and long-winded. Is it really pertinent to refer to video games as “recreational pursuits” or to Yelp as “a crowd sourced depository of reviews”? In the audio version, the narrator does not improve things with his slow, careful enunciation. He is particularly aggravating when he imitates French, German or Dutch accents in quoting foreign sources (in English). Overall, it appears best to pass on this offering.