Planning in the USA: Policies, Issues, and Processes

by Roger Caves, J. Barry Cullingworth

Extensively revised and updated, Planning in the USA, 5th edition continues to provide a comprehensive introduction to the policies, theory and practice of planning.

Outlining land use, urban planning, and environmental protection policies, this fully illustrated book explains the nature of the planning process and the way in which policy issues are identified, defined, and approached. The new edition incorporates new planning legislation and regulations at the state and federal layers of government, and examples of local ordinances in a variety of planning areas. New material includes discussions of:

- education and equity in planning;

- the City Beautiful Movement;

- Daniel Burnham's Plan for Chicago;

- Segregation;

- Knick v. Township of Scott;

- reforming single-family zoning, and regulatory challenges in zoning and land use;

- Daniel Parolek's "Missing Middle Housing';

- climate change, mitigation, adaptation, and resiliency

- the drinking water crisis in Flint, Michigan;

- sharing programs for cars, bicycles and scooters;

- hybrid electric and autonomous vehicles;

- Vision Zero;

- COVID-19 relief for housing;

- Innovation Districts, Promise Zones, and Opportunity Zones;

- the sharing, gig, and creative economies;

- scenic views and vistas, monuments, statues and remembering the past;

- healthy cities, Health Impact Assessment, and active living;

This detailed account of urbanization in the United States reveals the problematic nature and limitations of the planning process, the fallibility of experts, and the difficulties facing policy-makers in their search for solutions. Planning in the USA, 5th edition is an essential book for students of urban planning, urban politics, environmental geography, and environment politics. It will be a valuable resource for planners and all who are concerned with the nature of contemporary urban and environmental problems.

Genres: Urban Planning, Urbanism, Urban, Urban Studies

774 pages, Paperback

First published March 27, 1997

Reviews

[Max D'onofrio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read an early edition of this book. Great points on how planning interacts with local and national politics. Even though I am not a planner, it helped me understand some key issues from their perspective.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Useful overview of planning with a lot of parseable footholds for doing further, more focused research into particular subjects.

[Rachel Bayles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting take on problem solving. First time I can remember a textbook saying - If you think you are ever going to solve these problems, you will always be frustrated. The most you can do is steer things in a better direction.

[Rock · Rating 4 out of 5]

An above-average textbook - strives for readability and doesn't hesitate to take a position (when the evidence calls for it, of course)