Sarah susanka, architect and author of the not so big house series and the not so big life with walkable city, jeff speck demonstrated that he is the most relevant writer and thinker of his generation on the subject of city. There is no single document poised to have a greater positive impact on our communities and on the practice of urban planning than this comprehensive and engaging text. Its sequel, walkable city rules, is described by kurt andersen as a must read for urbanists, city builders, and everyone who lives in. Often times you see authors struggle to find that balance, or they have a book that is composed of 70% analogies and 30% facts, or like 90%. Kaid benfield, the atlantic cities jeff speck, aicp, is one of the few practitioners and writers in the field who can make a 312page book on a basic planning concept seem too short. It might just be the difference between seinfeld and the partridge family, friends and the brady bunch. Local motion, in partnership with the chittenden county regional planning commission, aarp, uvm, and the burlington business association, will host an event series on october 1617th featuring jeff speck, an internationally recognized city planner, and author. I wish i had walkable city rules fifteen years ago, to distribute to mayors, city administrators, dot engineers, and developers. Unlike most planning books, which set their sights for twenty, sometimes fifty, years into the future, specks book is for now. But in the typical american city, the car is still king, and downtown is a place thats easy to drive to but often not. Walkable city in the west downtown billings alliance.
A city planner by trade, speck is aware of what works and doesnt work in creating and maintaining thriving metropolises. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read walkable city. Dec 07, 2012 jeff specks walkable city a recipe for vibrant street life. Paul goldberger, pulitzer prizewinning architecture critic and author of why architecture matters with walkable city, jeff speck demonstrates why he is. When i was the city designer for the city of davenport, iowa, i helped prepare informational packets for. Sep 18, 2012 jeff speck has dedicated his career to determining what makes cities thrive. The worst idea americans have ever had is urban sprawl, and it is being emulated in other countries. Jeff speck does a great job of blending, analogies, stories, statistic, studies, and facts into one book.
Nov, 2012 jeff speck, coauthor of the landmark bestseller suburban nation, is a city planner who advocates for smart growth and sustainable design. Prior to joining the endowment, speck spent ten years as. Jeff speck, aicp, cnua, leedap, honorary asla, is a city planner and the author of several books, most recently walkable city rules. How downtown can save america, one step at a time speck, jeff on. Creating a walkable city means restricting urban driving. Cities work best when people can safely and easily walk to most if not all aspects of their daily. Walkablecity rules is a doers guide to making change in cities, and making it now. Jeff speck is a city planner and urban designer who, through writing, lectures, and built work, advocates internationally for smart growth and sustainable design. How downtown can save america, one step at a time, is worth a read for its acerbic wit, alone. How downtown can save america, one step at a time, and suburban nation. David owen, staff writer at the new yorker nearly every us city would like to be more walkablefor reasons of health, wealth, and the environmentyet few are taking the proper steps to get there. How downtown can save america, one step at a time kindle. Freedom from cars, freedom from sprawl, freedom to walk your city. Jeff specks followup to his bestselling walkable city is the resource that cities and citizens need to usher in an era of renewed street life.
He blames many of his fellow planners for the big mistakes of repeatedly designing cities for the swift movement. Walkable city gives great insight into the differences between inviting cities and hard to maneuver cities. With his new book, walkable city rules, he establishes himself as the most helpful. Oct 09, 2018 an excerpt from jeff specks walkable city rules, a stepbystep guide to fixing americas cities and towns. As the former director of design at the national endowment for the arts, he oversaw the mayors institute on city design, where he worked with dozens of american mayors on their most pressing city planning challenges.
Nov 12, 20 walkable city is an eloquent ode to the livable city and to the values behind it. Every two months, somewhere in the united states, we would gather eight mayors and eight designers, lock ourselves in a room for two days, and try to solve each mayors most pressing cityplanning challenge. He has authored or coauthored several books on urban planning, including his 2012 book, walkable city. Jeff speck books list of books by author jeff speck. But jeff speck does a good job of balancing all these elements out leading to a dynamic and fun book. Timely and important, a delightful, insightful, irreverent work. Nov, 2012 a city planner offers a blueprint for making midsize american cities more pedestrianfriendly. Speck addresses usefulness by focusing on zoning and transit. In his book, walkable city, speck says urban walks. The rise of sprawl and the decline of the american dream, 2000, etc. Making downtown into a walkable, viable community is the essential fix for the typical american city. Jeff speck is a city planner and urban designer who, through writing, lectures, and built work, advocates internationally for more walkable cities. Jeff speck s followup to his bestselling walkable city is the resource that cities and citizens need to usher in an era of renewed street life.
Cities are the future of the human race, and jeff speck knows how to make them work. Dec 16, 2019 unlike most planning books, which set their sights for twenty, sometimes fifty, years into the future, specks book is for now. Read walkable city how downtown can save america, one step at a time by jeff speck available from rakuten kobo. City planner jeff speck shares his general theory of walkability four planning principles to transform sprawling cities of sixlane highways and 600foot blocks into safe, walkable oases full of bike lanes and treelined streets. Walkable city ebook by jeff speck 9781429945967 rakuten kobo. How downtown can save america, one step at a time ebook written by jeff speck. Why you should listen jeff speck is a city planner and architectural designer who, through writing, lectures, and built work, advocates internationally for more walkable cities. Jeff specks two ted talks have been viewed more than 4 million times. A city planner offers a blueprint for making midsize american cities more pedestrianfriendly. Paul goldberger, pulitzer prizewinning architecture critic and author of why architecture matters with walkable city, jeff speck demonstrates why he is among the most relevant and engaging writers on urban design today.
At a deeper level, speck reveals how our spaces shape our behavior, whether or not were aware of it. Dec 02, 20 speck deserves the widest possible readership. Mar 25, 2014 jeff speck has dedicated his career to determining what makes cities thrive. Walkable city rules is sure to change the face of neighborhoods, towns, and cities around this country and beyond.
How downtown can save america, one step at a time, in which he. See all books authored by jeff speck, including walkable city. Instead, speck aims to show how we can deliberately plan urban spaces to be useful, safe, comfortable, and interesting. An excerpt from jeff specks walkable city rules, a stepbystep guide to fixing americas cities and towns. The rise of sprawl and the decline of the american dream, and more on. Jeff speck is a city planner and the author of walkable city.
June 14, 20 in his 2012 book, walkable city, jeff speck, coauthor of suburban nation and the smart growth manual, branches out on his own to nail down a comprehensive guide to walkability. The book is written to where even if youre not a city. But in the typical american city, the car is still kin. Feb 07, 20 the obvious solution is to make the city more walkable but many efforts to design cities as a place to walk have failed as well, often due to their halfhearted nature or lack of understanding of what makes a city walkable. Cities work best when people can safely and easily walk to most if not all aspects of their. Nov 16, 2012 walkable city is an eloquent ode to the livable city and to the values behind it. Walkable city is an eloquent ode to the livable city and to the values behind it. The 101 rules are practical yet engagingworded for arguments at the planning commission, illustrated for clarity. Walkable city rules is a doers guide to making change in cities, and making it now. In the 2012 book walkable city, jeff speck writes that cites can be walkable only if walking is useful, safe, comfortable and interesting.
So while the book is called walkable city it also gives invaluable insight into other elements. The christian science monitora best book of the year a. As director of design at the national endowment for the arts, he oversaw the mayors institute on city design and created the governors institute on community design. With walkable city, jeff speck demonstrated that he is the most relevant writer and thinker of his generation on the subject of city planning. If you grew up, as i did, in a pedestrian city, much of jeff specks walkable city. Mayors institute on city design, which puts city leaders together with designers for intensive planning sessions. He is an advocate for new urbanism and more walkable cities and has given ted talks on the subjects. The very idea of a modern metropolis evokes visions of bustling sidewalks, vital mass transit, and a vibrant, pedestrianfriendly urban core. Jeff specks walkable city a recipe for vibrant street. In softcover nonfiction, jeff speck paces the city streets and. Jeff speck s two ted talks have been viewed more than 4 million times. Jeff speck, author of walkable city city planner jeff speck says walking will remain a choice in most american cities for years to come, but that its important to incentivize. Speck is the coauthor of suburban nation, which the wall street journal calls the urbanists bible.
A howto manual for fixing badly planned cities citylab. Online shopping from a great selection at books store. How downtown can save america, one step at a time by jeff speck. In jeff specks excellent new book, walkable city, he suggests that there are ten keys to creating walkability. This is a great read for anyone interested in design but also in local development. With walkable city, jeff speck demonstrates why he is among the most relevant and engaging writers on urban design today. Jeff specks walkable city a recipe for vibrant street life. Jeff speck, a city planner and former director of design at the national endowment for the arts, talks about his book, walkable city. Jeff speck has dedicated his career to determining what makes cities thrive.
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