The American City: A Sourcebook of Urban Imagery / Edition 1

by David Riesman

Overview

This set of readings presents useful insights into urbanization and provides a fresh perspective on American cities and their inhabitants. Advancing the premise that it is not possible to understand how people live in cities without understanding how they think of them, the editor presents historical and contemporary materials that illustrate vividly the variety of ways in which Americans have viewed their cities, and urbanization in general.

This book sheds light on what the city is and does by analyzing what its citizens think it should be and do. Its lively, readable selections include contributions from businessmen, ministers, journalists, reporters, city planners, and reformers, as well as sociologists. Strauss shows that Americans' views of cities have been profoundly influenced by their history of continental expansion, successive waves of immigration, massive industrialization and similar objective developments. He points out that certain perspectives or themes—relations of social classes within the city, of country to city, of small city to big city, of city to region, etc.—persist regardless of the social or historical perspective of the writer.

The author's comprehensive introduction and his introductions to each section of the book delineate the thematic structure of the readings and guide the reader toward the insights and principles illuminated in the different sections. A fruitful contribution to courses in urban sociology, the book is a useful addition to the libraries of sociologists, political scientists, planners, and city officials who wish to understand more fully the contemporary urban milieu.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780202309279
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	02/15/2007
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	544
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

David Riesman

Table of Contents

1: Images and Perspectives; 2: Contrasting Conceptions of the Same City; 3: The Frontier and the City; 4: City Destiny; 5: Early Versions of the Rural-Urban Dialogue; 6: Perils of the Great City; 7: Success and the Perilous City; 8: Poverty and Its Solutions; 9: Democracy, Politics, and Municipal Reform; 10: Order and Disorder in the City; 11: Sociologists Study Social Worlds; 12: The City without Human Purpose; 13: Rural Amenities and Urban Attributes; 14: Suburbia; 15: Visitors Fun and Esthetics; 16: City Planning; 17: Urban Imagery and Urban Theory

Editorial Reviews

Strauss has compiled a set of readings to produce a textbook version of his Images of the American City. He has collected articles to demonstrate his concept of urban imagery, organized them into sections dealing with different aspects of cities, and provided each section with an introduction and suggested readings. He has also included some excerpts from urban sociologists which expand the theoretical structure of the book, and widen its appeal as an urban anthology. In sum, he has edited a readable, interesting, even entertaining book which student readers will appreciate.” —John Sirjamaki, Social Forces “Professor Anselm Strauss has put together in this volume ninety technical and literary vignettes of American cities. . . . This book will provide for the general reader a delightful kaleidoscopic view of the various images of American cities as presented by American and foreign observers, From the biting sarcasm of Rudyard Kipling’s impression of Chicago to the warm and appreciative response of Julian Ralph to the same city, the reader will find this book both entertaining and informative. For the classroom and the reserve shelf, it is m opinion that Professor Strauss’ unique collection of urban images will be a valuable and appreciated resource.” —Gilbert James, American Sociological Review

From the Publisher