Description
In popular imagination, America is the land of wide open spaces. But in reality, much of it is more densely populated than Europe. Two-thirds of the U.S. population lives on less than 20 percent of the privately owned land, clustered in 20-some megapolitan areas — networks of metropolitan centers fused by common economic, physical, social, and cultural traits.
Megapolitan America draws on detailed data to map out the dramatic — and surprisingly positive — shifts ahead. Backed by hard numbers, Nelson and Lang argue for long-range planning that sheds outdated images and stokes the nation's economic engines. This is required reading for everyone who cares about America's future.
Click here to Meet the Authors
Table of Contents
See full table of contents
Foreword by Armando Carbonell
Prologue: From Cities to Megapolitans
The New Kid in Town: Megapolitan Areas and Clusters
From Megalopolis to Megapolitan
The Evolving Megapolitan Idea
Progression of Thought
Organization of Megapolitan America
Part 1: From Cities to Megaregions
City and Metropolitan Form
Concentric Ring or Monocentric City and Metropolitan Form
Sector City and Metropolitan Form
Multinuclear or Polycentric City and Metropolitan Form
The Extended Metropolis
Megaregions and National Regions
Summary Observations
Part 2: Megapolitan Convergence
Soft-Nosed, Self-Organized Planning
The New Metropolitan Governance: Tied to Federal Formula
The Business of Megapolitans: Cooperating on Economic Development
The Megapolitan Footprint: Managing Land and Water
The State and the Megapolitan: Conflict and Convergence
Endnote
Part 3: Defining What is Megapolitan
Metropolitan Evolution
The Metroplex Model
Urban Realms
The New Metropolitan Form
Metropolitan and Megapolitan Commuting
Methods
Back to Top
Reviews
See all reviews