Overview

Written by one of this country's foremost urban historians, Downtown is the first history of what was once viewed as the heart of the American city. It tells the fascinating story of how downtown, and the way Americans thought about it, changed over time. By showing how businessmen and property owners worked to promote the well-being of downtown, even at the expense of other parts of the city, it also gives a riveting account of spatial politics in urban America. Drawing on a wide array of contemporary sources, Robert M. Fogelson brings downtown to life, first as the business district, then as the central business district, and finally as just another business district. His book vividly recreates the long-forgotten battles over subways and skyscrapers in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. And it provides a fresh, often startling perspective on elevated highways, parking bans, urban redevelopment, and other controversial issues. This groundbreaking book will be a revelation to scholars, city planners, policymakers, and general readers interested in American cities and American history.

Full Product Details

9780300090628

Table of Contents

Reviews

A superb book that offers an insightful, engaging, and informative account of a subject that is key to our understanding of the American city yet has long been treated in little more than a cursory manner. Richard Longstreth, George Washington University.

Author Information

Robert M. Fogelson is professor of urban studies and history at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and author of The Fragmented Metropolis: Los Angeles 1850-1930, Big-City Police, America's Armories: Architecture, Society, and Public Order, and other books on urban America.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available