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Bezig met laden... The Bulldozer in the Countryside: Suburban Sprawl and the Rise of American Environmentalism (Studies in Environment and History) (origineel 2001; editie 2001)door Adam Rome
Informatie over het werkThe Bulldozer in the Countryside door Adam Rome (2001)
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Meld je aan bij LibraryThing om erachter te komen of je dit boek goed zult vinden. Op dit moment geen Discussie gesprekken over dit boek. One of the most important questions in environmental history is what caused the rise of environmentalism. Adam Rome argues that American environmentalism started in the backyards of suburbia. It leaked out of poorly constructed septic tanks, grew with every felled tree, and spread with every new house. Rome demonstrates the important relationship between the mass migration to the suburbs after 1945 and the rise of the environmental movement, a connection that scholars "so far have not recognized." (xi) Consumers living in suburbia began to worry about the impact of their lifestyle on the environment. By focusing on this connection, Rome has made an important contribution to the history of postwar America. geen besprekingen | voeg een bespreking toe
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The concern today about suburban sprawl is not new. In the decades after World War II, the spread of tract-house construction changed the nature of millions of acres of land, and a variety of Americans began to protest against the environmental costs of suburban development. By the mid-1960s, indeed, many of the critics were attempting to institutionalize an urban land ethic. The Bulldozer in the Countryside was the first scholarly work to analyze the successes and failures of the varied efforts to address the environmental consequences of suburban growth from 1945 to 1970. For scholars and students of American history, the book offers a compelling insight into two of the great stories of modern times - the mass migration to the suburbs and the rise of the environmental movement. The book also offers a valuable historical perspective for participants in contemporary debates about the alternatives to sprawl. Geen bibliotheekbeschrijvingen gevonden. |
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Google Books — Bezig met laden... GenresDewey Decimale Classificatie (DDC)333.73Social sciences Economics Economics of land & energy Land, recreational and wilderness areas, energy Land Use PlanningLC-classificatieWaarderingGemiddelde:
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Rome traces the development of suburban tract housing chronologically, beginning with the housing shortage facing the nation after World War II. Giant assembly-line builders such as William Levitt created tract house developments quickly, becoming in a sense national heroes. But these developments caused immense environmental damage. First, these developers generally scraped the construction sites clean of all vegetation and trees, paving the way for disastrous soil erosion. Creeks and other drainage channels were often eliminated in favor of storm sewers. Because these developments were often far removed from municipal sewage systems, contractors installed millions of unreliable septic tanks, leading to widespread water contamination. Despite early interest in solar energy, building costs led builders to begin advocating all-electric homes. Alliances with energy companies led to the widespread installation of electric air conditioning and heating, increasing the use of energy obtained from burning coal.
Eventually, housing developments were built in areas that were environmentally sensitive. Building in areas such as filled-in wetlands and hillsides created problems such as mudslides, flooding, and increased damage from storms and hurricanes.
These problems, along with concerns about the destruction of open space, led to a shift in emphasis from private property rights to a new land ethic.