Also see Sierra magazine's listing of books on the
sprawl issue
Books | Magazines | Other
Publications
Campaign Materials
Books
How to Organize
How to Save Your Neighborhood, City, or Town: The Sierra Club Guide to Community
Organizing by Maritza Pick
Paperback; Published by Sierra Club Books (March 1993); ISBN: 0871565226; List: $12.00
Synopsis: Whether the environmental issue is large or small, whether it
threatens your block or entire city, here, at last, is a practical guide to environmental
victories, equally helpful to concerned citizens in big cities, small towns, and rural
areas alike. "An excellent source for concerned citizens who want to do more than
just voice their frustrations . . . who want to make a difference." --Mike Thompson,
California State Senator.
Organizing for Social Change: A Manual for Activists in the 1990's, 2nd Edition
by Kim Bobo, Jackie Kendall, Steve Max, Kimberly A. Bobo
Paperback; Published by Seven Locks Pr (January 1996); ISBN: 0929765419; List: $19.95
Synopsis: A comprehensive manual for grassroots organizers working for social
political, environmental, and economic change at the local, state, and national level. It
is a book that builds on America's tradition of organizing that began with the nation's
fight for independence. Using this manual, organizers will learn a systematic approach to
the techniques of organizing, of building and using power, and of creating lasting
institutions that are both self-defense organizations and avenues for citizen
participation in public life.
The Sprawl Issue
Asphalt Nation: How the Automobile Took over America, and How We Can Take It Back,
1st Ed Hardcover by Jane Holtz Kay
385 pages; Published by Crown Pub (April 1, 1997); ISBN: 0517587025; List: $27.50
Synopsis: Provides a thought-provoking look at the devastating impact on America
of the automobile from a political, social, economic, and cultural perspective, and offers
a range of innovative solutions to help change Americans' relationships with their cars.
17,500 first printing.
The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs
Paperback, 458 pages Reissue edition (January 1993) Vintage Books; ISBN: 067974195X; List
$14.00
Synopsis: This is the book that enlightened many of us. It illuminates what
makes neighborhoods interesting, fun and safe. It discusses neighborhood governance as
well as architectural design.
Edge City: Life on the New Frontier by Joel Garreau, Reprint Edition
Paperback, 548 pages; Published by Anchor (October 1, 1992); ISBN: 0385424345; List:
$15.95
Synopsis: First there was downtown. Then there were suburbs. Then there were
malls. Then Americans launched the most sweeping changes in 100 years by moving their jobs
out to where they live and shop. In this ground breaking and highly readable book, the
author chronicles this dramatic trend and sheds revealing light on who we are, how we got
that way, and where we are headed.
The Geography of Nowhere: The Rise and Decline of America's Man-Made Landscape
by James Howard Kunstler, Reprint Edition
Paperback; Published by Touchstone Books (July 1, 1994); ISBN: 0671888250; List: $11.00
Synopsis: In this "eminently relevant and important book" (Library
Journal), the author traces the evolution of America's landscape, where every place looks
like no place in particular, and where accommodating the automobile jeopardizes the
individual and the environment.
Growth Management Principles and Practices by Arthur C. Nelson and James B.
Duncan
Chicago, IL: American Planning Association ; Hardcover; 184pp; Published by
University of Chicago Press (August 1995); ISBN: 091828693X; List: $49.00
Synopsis: This book provides a good introduction to developing an effective
growth management program. It includes chapters on resource land preservation, rural
growth management, and urban containment, among others.
Holding Our Ground: Protecting America's Farms and Farmland by Tom Daniels,
Deborah Bowers
Paperback, 420 pages Published by Island Pr (April 1, 1997); ISBN: 1559634820; List:
$34.95
Synopsis: This book provides a comprehensive discussion of farmland
preservation. It describes the business of farming and how to use different techniques to
create an effective farmland protection program. It's a must-read for anyone interested in
protecting farmland.
Home from Nowhere: Remaking Our Everyday World for the Twenty-First Century by
James Howard Kunstler
Hardcover, 320 pages; Published by Simon & Schuster (October 1, 1996); ISBN:
0684811960; List: $24.00
Synopsis: The critically acclaimed author of The Geography of Nowhere, the
milestone book that described the horrendous blighting of America's landscape, now
explores the movement to restore our everyday world and create places to live and work
that are worthy of our affection. National author media. Photos throughout.
Metropolitics: A Regional Agenda for Community and Stability by Myron W.
Orfield
Hardcover, 260 pages; Published by Brookings Inst (February 1, 1997); ISBN: 0815766408;
List: $28.95
Synopsis: Metropolitics is the story of how demographic research and
state-of-the-art mapping, together with resourceful and pragmatic politics, built a
powerful political alliance between the central cities, declining inner suburbs, and
developing suburbs with low tax bases. Orfield argues that the forces of decline, sprawl,
and polarization are too large for individual cities, and suburbs to confront alone. The
answer lies in a regional agenda that promotes both community and stability.
The Next American Metropolis: Ecology, Community, and the American Dream by
Peter Calthorpe
Paperback, 175 pages; Published by Princeton Architectural Pr (June 1993); ISBN:
1878271687; List: $24.95
Synopsis: Art and Architecture Editor's Recommended Book, 04/01/97. One of the
foremost practitioners of New Urbanism, Peter Calthorpe, an urban designer and architect
based in Berkeley, California, offers one of the most coherent and persuasive arguments
for moving the United States away from sprawl and toward more compact, mixed-use,
economically diverse, and ecologically sound communities. This book presents 24 of
Calthorpe's regional urban plans, in which towns are organized so that residents can be
less dependent upon their cars and can walk, bike, or take public transportation between
work, school, home, and shopping.
Real Towns: Making your neighborhood work, by Harrison Bright Rue. 62 pages, softback; published by Local Government Commission Center for Livable Communities (2000); www.lgc.org, pubs@lgc.org, www.citizenplanner.com.
Synopsis: A how-to manual for getting citizens to get to know and evaluate their neighborhoods and implement smart growth. Demystifies local organizing, smart growth, design, charettes and planning, and traffic calming.
Save Our Land, Save Our Towns: A Plan for Pennsylvania by Thomas Hylton, Blair
Seitz (Photographer)
Paperback, 127 pages; Published by RB Books (September 1995); ISBN: 1879441446; List:
$24.95
Synopsis: Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Thomas Hylton, a lifelong
Pennsylvanian, looks at how eleven other states, from Vermont to Oregon, are implementing
a new concept in comprehensive state plans. He also looks at how regional governments have
improved the quality of life in places like Toronto, Minneapolis-St. Paul, and Lexington,
KY. He applies these lessons to a proposed plan that will help Pennsylvania save its land,
save its towns, and live up to its rich potential.
Tomorrow by Design: A Regional Design Process for Sustainability by Philip H.,
Jr. Lewis
Hardback: Published by John Wiley & Sons (April 1, 1996), ISBN: 0471109355, List:
$59.95
Synopsis: Lewis is renowned for his work in creating the regional design process
and the related concepts of "Circle Cities" and "environmental
corridors." His comprehensive book contains a methodology for guiding development in
a manner that preserves and enhances natural diversity and quality of life for present and
future generations. He describes what the regional design process is and how it can be
applied to areas ranging in scale from a small neighborhood to the entire world.
Magazines, Journals, and
Periodicals
- "Livable Cities", Sierra Magazine May/June 1997
- "Stopping Sprawl", Sierra Club's The Planet; April 1997 (Vol. 4 No. 3)
Other Publications
"A Better Way to Grow: For More Livable Communities and a Healthier Chesapeake
Bay", by George Maurer; 32 pp. Chesapeake Bay Foundation (1996); Call 410-268-8816 to
request a copy.
"Toward a Green Space Legacy: A Call to Action in Southeastern Pennsylvania"
published by GreenSpace Alliance of Southeastern PA (1995); Call 1-800-322-9214 or
215-563-0250 to request a copy.
"Green Plan Gazette" published by GreenSpace Alliance of Southeastern PA
(Fall 1996); Call 1-800-322-9214 or 215-563-0250 to request a copy.
Mark Roseland, "Toward Sustainable communities: A Resource Book for Municipalities
and Local Governments," National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy,
1992.
Sprawl Costs Us All Reports
- Arizona (August 1998)
- Maryland (January 1997)
- Midwest (August 1997)
- National (September 1998)
- Virginia (September 1997)
- Washington, D.C. Area (Oct. 1998)
- Wisconsin (1996)
Sprawl Campaign Materials
- Sierra Club Challenge to Sprawl Activist Toolkit (free)
- Sample Local Community and Environmental Report Card (free)
- "Sprawl Hurts Us All" stickers, white on green, $20/500 or $30/1000.
Stickers may be ordered by contacting Melody Flowers at
melody.flowers@sierraclub.org or at 202-547-1141.
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