Two Centuries of American Planning ed. by Daniel Schaffer

Abstract

technology AND culture Book Reviews 301 a wealth of such history that nonspecialists will delight in knowing and that will benefit their own work. Roger Bolton Dr. Boi.ion is Edward Dorr Griffin Professor of Economics at Williams College and, in fall 1989, he was Distinguished Visiting Professor at the La Follette Institute for Public Affairs, University of Wisconsin—Madison. He has written on regional and environmental economics, state and local government finance, and on the “sense of place” in localities. Two Centuries oj American Planning. Edited by Daniel Schaffer. Balti­ more: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1988. Pp. vi + 329; illustra­ tions, notes, index. $48.50 (cloth); $14.95 (paper). In a ringing paean to planning distinctly out of step with the march of deregulation over the last decade, Daniel Schaffer introduces an unusually solid collection of essays. Claiming that the problems of the planning profession “serve as a metaphor for the current crisis in government” as well as in liberal thought, he notes planning’s “bifocal quality”—with economic development usually prevailing over equity and reform. The dozen original essays deal with virtually all important aspects of the history of urban planning in the United States. Most are drawn from larger works or ongoing research that will receive more ex­ tended treatment elsewhere, but each fits quite well within the overall framework. Though no single essay is devoted to technology and its influence, and the subject receives inconsistent emphasis, most au­ thors do at least note the substantial importance of transportation and infrastructure. The colonial period is basically neglected, but the 19th century gets its due. Edward K. Spann’s treatment of the New York Plan of 1811 is an excellent assessment of the Manhattan grid, one of the most lasting and obvious impositions of order on the American urban landscape. Henry C. Binford and Michael H. Ebner deal, respectively, with the emergence of suburbs in the early and late 19th century, and more specifically, with a suburban “ethos” created, as Ebner observes, by the three factors of transportation, nature, and population. Dana F. White does his usually capable job of explicating Frederick Law Olmsted’s major contribution to urban planning, as does William H. Wilson with the City Beautiful ideal. David C. Hammack offers one of the best essays in the collection, demonstrat­ ing that large-scale planning was well established in urban America before the 20th century and that most such planning was not done by professional planners but resulted from “three distinct forces—the 302 Book Reviews TECHNOLOGY AND CULTURE demand for improved public health, the response of small investors to the market, and the strategies of large land developers.” Basic developments in the 20th century are covered in four strong essays: David A. Johnson’s masterful summary of regional planning for New York City between the world wars is followed by John Hancock on the New Deal and American planning, John F. Bauman on downtown revitalization and housing after World War II, and Robert Fishman on the postwar suburb. Hancock’s contribution may be the best brief summary of urban planning during the 1930s we have. Fishman, whose work is invariably well crafted and provocative, perceives American suburbs through the vision of Frank Lloyd Wright and concludes that “Broadacre City already exists, and most Americans are already living in it.” The concluding essays are by Howell S. Baum, on the problems and opportunities in the planning profession, especially in the 1980s, and David R. Goldfield, who reflects on the future of the metropolitan region and the challenges that this “new city” and its social and economic realities will pose for equity and American democracy. Some essays are better than others, but each one is solid and some are exceptional. References are uneven, with some contributors delving much more deeply into the literature. Although the title refers to American planning, this book actually deals with urban or community development rather than with national or economic planning. There is no distinct regional bias, though the Northeast and Midwest receive the most coverage, and the largest cities get the most attention. Taken together, these essays constitute the best and most up-to-date single-volume history of American...