The Second Edition of Kaplan's Urban Geography text aims to uncover the excitement and richness found in cities, while tackling the wide variety of urban challenges. This text offers a comprehensive treatment of urban geography, covering the field both as it has evolved and as it exists today and fully explores the origins and development of cities. Kaplan includes the most current research in urban studies, introduces elements of urban theory and methodology, and addresses the urban experience as a global one. Using crystal-clear language, the text presents key concepts in a straightforward structure that makes mastering the material easy for all students of Urban Geography.
This was the textbook for my Urban Geography class, and it seemed like it was mostly a decent one. As it was published a decade ago, it felt a bit out of date in a lot of respects, as cities are constantly evolving and the landscape of the world -- particularly in the United States -- has drastically changed in the last 10 years.
I'm not sure what I expected when it came to learning about urban geography, but it wasn't necessarily what was covered in this textbook. While I don't know if that's a good or bad thing -- it's finals week, I'm exhausted -- I didn't find myself clamoring to learn more about the subject after reading this textbook. It's fine, I think, for a base understanding of the subject.
I was assigned this book for a class and read through a few of the chapters. The book explains itself really well and I learned quite a bit from it, but to be honest I can't be fucked to finish it.