Smarter Communities. (Books).

What's wrong with car-dependent suburbia? Houses are in one place, jobs another, and shopping a third. Is there some way communities can combine these functions of life, allowing people to casually walk around and get to know their neighbors? Enough cranky books stop there, but the Natural Resources Defense Council has published an encouraging, accessible collection of case studies in which suburban sprawl has been surpassed. From the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative in Boston to Village Green in Los Angeles, Solving Sprawl ($20) includes 35 examples of how developers are starting to listen to the critics. Authors F. Kaid Benfield, Jutka Terris and Nancy Vorsanger cover smart cities, suburbs and conservation, which is where the barriers between wilderness and civilization are breached with new models. This book offers evidence that the old rules are changing in the 21st century.