Rating: 
Summary: Why suburban sprawl is inevitable - say goodbye to downtown
Review: Although this book is over a decade old, it is still a classic on why suburban sprawl is unstoppable, and why those trying to recreate 1920s-style downtowns are doomed to failure. The author is somewhat sympathetic to new urbanists, preservationists, and advocates of mass transit, but he believes that they're overlooking some basic facts: First, Americans will always be motorists. Even if oil becomes expensive, alternative fuels will arise and the car will always be ubiquitous. No one really wants to stand in the pouring rain to board a bus filled with smelly street people and other lowlifes. Second, Americans refuse to walk more than 600 feet, not coincidentally the distance between anchor stores in a large mall. Garreau laments how sterile suburbia has become but argues it is impossible to turn the clock back to the heyday of the American downtown.There is at least a chapter on each of New Jersey, Boston, Detroit, Atlanta, Phoenix, Texas, LA, San Francisco, and Washington, DC. There are only 2 photos and 10 maps; more illustrations would have helped. Over 70 pages cover the conflict between preservationists and a developer named Til Hazel regarding the Manassas (Va.) battlefield. The developer is portrayed, not as an unethical monster, but as a salt-of-the-earth entrepreneur who is genuinely mystified why people would be against progress, and mystified why people romanticize past eras in which the standard of living was so dismal The greatest flaw is the author's wordiness. Time and time again, he bludgeons the reader with repetition and paraphrases, to make sure no one misses his point. It's as though his motto is never to use one sentence when five will do. There is not enough brevity, and he tends to repeat himself (like I am doing right now - isn't it irritating?).
Rating: 
Summary: A fascinating look at the newest form of suburban planning.
Review: American cities have always had downtowns. Indeed, downtown has always been where the action is: shopping, work space, and even residences. But a new form of development is now taking place in American metropolitan areas: office development in the suburbs and even beyond. Garreau tells the story of several metropolitan areas, such as San Francisco, Boston, Atlanta, and Washington, and explains how office development in country areas are spawning a new relationship with the suburbs. Indeed, many jobs are no longer located in the conventional downtown area, as broad expanses of parking lots and six-lane expressways supplant former two-lane country roads meandering through gentle forests. No more! After reading this book, one should grasp how the next wave of development is upon us--the downtown is no longer seen as desirable. The book is fairly well-written, and the list of developers' rules is very fascinating.
Rating:
Summary: Continuation of the old and embarking on the new
Review: Garreau's Edge Cities is one of the few books that this reviewer has found to have both layperson and academic interest. He clearly lays out what he means by "Edge City" early in the work and spends the rest of the time elaborating on cities and their surrounding Edge Cities. For the academic, he cites pertinent socio-economic data; interviews a variety of people, ranging from citizens, merchants, and political leaders; and provides maps for the reader who probably does not know the locations of these communities. For the interested lay reader in urban change and sociology, his writing retains the journalist style that made his Nine Nations of North America a valuable asset for common knowledge. He does not cite references that result in information overkill, frustrating the reader that another 'academic' flooded the market with a boring topic. Rather, he presents the information that makes this reading a valuable asset to the serious traveler who visits these cities and wants to learn the underlying reasons for change in them. While he has his biases, notably on deciding which Edge Cities would receive attention, this does not hamper the work at all. In fact, no one can accuse Garreau, truthfully, of generalizing the trends in American cities. His appendix of major cities with either emerging or current Edge Cities is a great way of ending his discussion. To sum up his work, this reviewer quotes from Jane Jacobs' The Death and Decline of Great American Cities: "The scenes that illustrate this book are all about us. For illustrations, please look closely at REAL [emphasis added] cities." Garreau does exactly that and succeeds at informing the reader that the emerging communities around our largest American cities are more than mere bedroom or satellite places. They are the result of complex political, economic, ethnic, and environmental forces that have developed and continue to evolve over time and space in American society.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book for Thought and Discussion
Review: I first bought this book back when it first came out in 1992. I've lent it out to numerous friends and acquaintances over the following years and it always provoked good discussions about what's important in how people make decisions about where they live and how location does and doesn't affect the fabric of your life.
Edge City looks at how suburbs are no longer just residential areas whose populations commute to the city to work and play, but have emerged as centers of employment and commerce in their own right. This will be familiar to anyone who has commuted down to a job in the quintessentially "Edge City" Silicon Valley. Each chapter looks at a different edge city and uses it to examine some of the issues that have cropped up in what Garreau argues is a new way of life. Although the subject urban planning could be a pretty slow read, Garreua's training as a journalist shows and his prose make an easy and enjoyable read.
Rating:
Summary: What It Is.....
Review: It is interesting to read this book again with the benefit of some history since it was first written. The Edge City has evolved and continues to evolve, but there is little doubt at this point that Garreau's basic premise was correct. We are on the edge because this is where it makes sense for so many of us to live. Just as the traditional city worked in the late 19th and first half of the 20th century, Edge City works today, and not just in the United States, but globally. I've seen Edge City in Toronto, Malmo Sweden and other places the author references and what strikes me is how similiar it is to Edge City in my own backyard, that is, The Woodlands, Texas.
Garreau is correct that Edge City is in transition. The Houston Galleria has gone from Edge City to traditional city in any sense of the definition. As housing is added and density increased, the area adapts. Always a destination, it is now home for increasing numbers of Houstonians. Mass transit is not far off. The Edge City is going mainstream, at least in the Galleria, and the end product is very attractive. The same can be said for The Woodlands. Yes, it is Disney-esque, but it is also funky in it's own way, and the end product will continue to evolve. The new pedestrian friendly village is already a hit, and water taxis and pathways make carless movement between major attractions a viable alternative to traditional suburban transit.
This is an excellent read, in no small part because Garreau resists the urge to lecture and condescend. He seems fascinated by the product and willing to admit that Edge City is what it is, and it might be a viable alternative even for those among us who view sprawl as wasteful and immoral. If you're interested in understanding the evolution of modern society, both good and bad, in terms of the places more and more of us are calling home....then this is a worthwhile read.
Rating:
Summary: Optimistic about an uncertain future?
Review: Joel Garreau is a good story teller about life on the new suburban frontier. His writing style reminds me of Jane Jacobs and her classic "Death and Life of Great American Cities." While Jacobs' book helped to modify the discourse on central city urban development with her praise of mixed uses, the value of sidewalks, and face to face encounters with your neighbors, Garreau likewise stakes out some ground counter to conventional planning wisdom about the suburbs. As a former city planner, I found Garreau's discussion of the new "downtowns" that are forming up on the suburban fringe and along certain freeways to provide a refreshingly candid look. He is essentially optimistic about a phenomena that is almost universally condemed by the professional planning and architecture community. The book's final two chapters are worth the price alone. In "The Words" chapter the author defines in lighthearted terms some of the slang that is associated with edge city development: "Ooh-ah: An unusual Amenity inserted in a development specifically to elicit an animated reaction from a client. Commmercial Ooh-ahs include built in hair dryers in the mens room" In the chapter titled "the Laws" and includes such tidbits as: "The number of blocks an American will walk in most downtowns: Three, maybe four." Overall a very readable and important book. In fact I use it as a text for a college class titled "The Built Environment" By reveiwing and discussing the "terms", "laws" and the players in nine "edge cities" around the country, the author does an amazing job clarifying what drives this sort of development and where it leading the future of American cities into the 21rst century. Jareau is basically optimistic, despite the boring warnings planners who warn of the impending collapse of civilization unless we abide by their dictates.
Rating:
Summary: Optimistic about an uncertain future?
Review: Joel Garreau is a good story teller about life on the new suburban frontier. His writing style reminds me of Jane Jacobs and her classic "Death and Life of Great American Cities." While Jacobs' book helped to modify the discourse on central city urban development with her praise of mixed uses, the value of sidewalks, and face to face encounters with your neighbors, Garreau likewise stakes out some ground counter to conventional planning wisdom about the suburbs. As a former city planner, I found Garreau's discussion of the new "downtowns" that are forming up on the suburban fringe and along certain freeways to provide a refreshingly candid look. He is essentially optimistic about a phenomena that is almost universally condemed by the professional planning and architecture community. The book's final two chapters are worth the price alone. In "The Words" chapter the author defines in lighthearted terms some of the slang that is associated with edge city development: "Ooh-ah: An unusual Amenity inserted in a development specifically to elicit an animated reaction from a client. Commmercial Ooh-ahs include built in hair dryers in the mens room" In the chapter titled "the Laws" and includes such tidbits as: "The number of blocks an American will walk in most downtowns: Three, maybe four." Overall a very readable and important book. In fact I use it as a text for a college class titled "The Built Environment" By reveiwing and discussing the "terms", "laws" and the players in nine "edge cities" around the country, the author does an amazing job clarifying what drives this sort of development and where it leading the future of American cities into the 21rst century. Jareau is basically optimistic, despite the boring warnings planners who warn of the impending collapse of civilization unless we abide by their dictates.
Rating:
Summary: Terrific book on an extraordinary new city phenomenon
Review: Mr. Garreau writes an insightful and balanced book on the new 'cities' that are growing up almost overnight around our old cities. He has done some ground-breaking research on how this all got started and where it might be going. I especially like the balanced presentation that allows the reader to decide whether these new Edge Cities are a boon, a disaster or somewhere in between.
Rating:
Summary: WOW....a must for anyone connected to design or planning!
Review: The Ugly, Nasty, Truth about the decline of the City, and the rise of the automobile as god!!! Very well written, and extremely informative. Never before have I questioned the disposable american lifestyle so much before! Buy this book if you are interested in developing, urban design, architecture, or just ever wonder "how to make a subway pay for itself out of the farebox..."
Rating:
Summary: Exceptionally well done
Review: This book explores what has become of the suburbs. Garreau's argues that certain suburbs have developed into a new kind of city, a city without a traditional downtown. He believes that such "edge cities", are the cities of the future. Garreau's criteria for an "edge city" are:
--5 million square feet or more of office space
--600,000 square feet or more of retail space
--more jobs than bedrooms
--perceived as one place by the population
--developed within the last 30 years
With these criteria in mind, Garreau sets off across the US to study our major edge cities. He explores edge cities in New Jersey, Texas, Southern California, and the areas around Boston, Detroit, Atlanta, Phoenix, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. In each area that he visits, Garreau takes up an edge city theme. For instance, in Detroit he discusses cars and the role they play in edge cities, and in Atlanta he discusses questions of race and class in edge cities.
At the end of the book is a list of US cities that qualified for edge city status in 1992. This is followed by a glossary of words used by edge city developers and a set of "laws" about how edge cities work. These "laws" are statistical observations about human behavior relevant for city planning, such as "the furthest distance an American will willing walk before getting into a car is 600 feet." Finally, there is an annotated list of suggested readings, endnotes, and an index.
Garreau is neither for nor against edge cities. He tries instead to understand how they work, and why they have popped up so rapidly across the country. He strives to be descriptive rather than prescriptive, coming across more like Jane Jacobs than Lewis Mumford, who argued so stridently for regional planning. Garreau points out that edge cities are being built by developers who are in the business to make money. In other words, they build what they believe will sell, and given the fact that the developments sell so well, a lot of Americans are making the conscious decision that they want to live in edge city developments. Through interviews with developers, employers, and residents, Garreau explores the factors that make edge cities so popular.
He writes "Maybe it worked like this. The force that drove the creation of Edge City was our search deep inside ourselves for a new balance of individualism and freedom. We wanted to build a world in which we could live in one place, work in another, and play in a third, in unlimited combination, as a way to nurture our human potential. This demanded transportation that would allow us to go where we wanted, when we wanted. That enshrined the individual transportation system, the automobile, in our lives. And that led us to build our market meeting places in the fashion of today's malls." Cars are key elements in this phenomenon. They make it possible for people to separate their workplaces from the residences, and they define the distances which are considered commutable. They make it possible for people to live spread out enough from each other that everyone can have a front yard, yet at the same time, for the development to be dense enough to support large employers and sophisticated shopping options.
Garreau doesn't devote much space to the problems created by such heavy dependence on personal autos. Would Americans ever be willing to trade in their cars for more sustainable transit options, such as bicycles? Unless the price of gas rises drastically, we probably won't find out. But it seems that it wouldn't be that hard to develop edge cities where people could get around by bicycle or foot. In Scandinavia, for instance, new developments are connected by bicycle/pedestrian walkways that are completely separate from motorways and have their own underpass system so that interactions with motorized traffic are kept to a minimum. Everyone from the youngest tot to the oldest senior citizen uses these paths. If bike travel were made easy and safe here, perhaps it might become more popular, easing the congestion on the roads. It might also help with our obesity epidemic.
One topic that Garreau seems to overlook is the question of the support workers for edge cities. In Garreau's edge city descriptions, the edge city residential properties are attractive and upscale, suitable for well-paid white color employees. The money these people have supports the edge city malls, shopping centers, and restaurants. But such highly skilled people aren't likely to actually work at the malls, where the jobs are minimum wage. All those shops and restaurants require ranks of minimum wage workers, and people earning the minimum wage can't afford to live in Edge City where the housing costs are so high. Instead, they live in run-down inner cities or outlying towns and commute long distances to their jobs at the malls. They may not reside in edge cities, but they still comprise a major component of the overall operations and their needs and habits should also be considered.
I lived in an edge city west of Boston for four years. I lived in a box, I worked in a box, and when I got home at night I was dead tired from the commute. The distances between shops and homes were so large that a car was absolutely required to get around. It was virtually impossible to meet others, and cultural activities were extremely limited. For the most part, the only public space in town was at the malls. The town spirit seemed to be missing along with the town center. The first chance we had to leave town, we bolted and have never looked back. If Garreau is right, and edge cities are the wave of the future because that's where Americans are choosing to live, I'm afraid for the future of America. Hopefully, as edge cities begin to mature, they will become more livable places.
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