St. Louis: The Evolution of American Urban Landscape

Critical Perspectives on the Past

by Eric Sandweiss

In this work, Eric Sandweiss scrutinizes the everyday landscape - streets, houses, neighbourhoods and public buildings - as it evolved in the American city of St Louis. He shows how the processes of dividing, trading, improving and dwelling on land are acts that reflect and shape human relations.

Genres: History, Geography

288 pages, Paperback

First published August 2, 2001

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sandweiss covers a very specific time in the Development of St Louis (mid-to-late 19th century), within a very specific area (mainly in and around Soulard). The merit of this book is taking very particular case studies of certain property parcels and looking at how these went from part of some guy's farm through complicated subdividion, sales and zoning negotiations to become part of the neighborhoods built fabric. Limited from a wider perspective, this does delve deeply into these mechanisms that, as a one-time St Louis resident, I could see this as relevant to the city's expansion generally.

[P.r. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting information but a hard read.