商品簡介
This color-illustrated study has visual appeal for general readers, especially the many photos of historical road signs, but it is also detailed enough for students and scholars. Landscape architecture expert Jack Williams (author of East 40 Degrees; An Interpretive Atlas) describes how the American Interstate Highway System decimated the economic, cultural, and political vitality of small towns across the country. While he emphasizes the destructive consequences of the highways, he also celebrates an aesthetic of urban form in small towns and advocates for the preservation of small towns. Early chapters introduce key ideas of studying cultural landscapes, review the history of the Interstate Highway System, and examine impact of the automobile on American life and culture. Later chapters visit distinctive landscapes and town designs of five regions across the country: mill towns of southern New England, courthouse squares of southern Georgia, farm villages of the Great Plains, mining towns of the American Southwest (Arizona Sonora Desert), and Chinese settlements of California’s Central Valley. These landscapes and their histories are used to explain shifts in rural settlement patterns from regionally distinctive small towns to car-dependent commercial centers. The book closes with detailed notes on sources used and research processes. The book contains about 150 color and b&w historical and contemporary photos, maps, illustrations, plans, and art. Annotation ©2017 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)
作者簡介
Jack Williams is Emeritus Professor of Landscape Architecture at Auburn University and the author of East 40 Degrees: An Interpretive Atlas (Virginia).
