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Cover image of The Reluctant Metropolis
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The Reluctant Metropolis

The Politics of Urban Growth in Los Angeles

William Fulton

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A Los Angeles Times Bestseller

"William Fulton is the Raymond Chandler of Los Angeles real estate."—Kevin Starr, California State Librarian and author of Material Dreams: Los Angeles through the 1920s

In twelve engaging essays, William Fulton chronicles the history of urban planning in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, tracing the legacy of short-sighted political and financial gains that has resulted in a vast urban region on the brink of disaster. Looking at such diverse topics as shady real estate speculations, the construction of the Los Angeles subway, the battle over the future of South...

A Los Angeles Times Bestseller

"William Fulton is the Raymond Chandler of Los Angeles real estate."—Kevin Starr, California State Librarian and author of Material Dreams: Los Angeles through the 1920s

In twelve engaging essays, William Fulton chronicles the history of urban planning in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, tracing the legacy of short-sighted political and financial gains that has resulted in a vast urban region on the brink of disaster. Looking at such diverse topics as shady real estate speculations, the construction of the Los Angeles subway, the battle over the future of South Central L.A. after the 1992 riots, and the emergence of Las Vegas as "the new Los Angeles," Fulton offers a fresh perspective on the city's epic sprawl. The only way to reverse the historical trends that have made Los Angeles increasingly unliveable, Fulton concludes, is to confront the prevailing "cocoon citizenship," the mind-set that prevents the city's inhabitants and leaders from recognizing Los Angeles's patchwork of communities as a single metropolis.

Reviews

Reviews

A surprisingly lively case study of the battles and alliances of politics, business and people that formed—or deformed—a great American city.

One of the most entertaining and thought-provoking books I have read in a long time about urban growth and change... Important reading for anyone interested in contemporary urban development. [Fulton] tells a story that may sound uniquely Los Angeles, but really applies to every growing city in America.

The Reluctant Metropolis is a welcome addition to the growing literature of place. Bill Fulton brings verve and lucidity to the politics of land use, a mega-issue ready to explode in the years ahead.

About

Book Details

Publication Date
Status
Available
Trim Size
6
x
9
Pages
424
ISBN
9780801865060
Illustration Description
61 b&w photos, 13 maps
Table of Contents

Preface to the Paperback Edition
Introduction. The Collapse of the Growth MachinePart 1: Power
Chapter 1. The Beachhead
Chapter 2. Perestroika Co-opted
Chapter 3. Suburbs of ExtractionPart 2: Structure
Cha

Preface to the Paperback Edition
Introduction. The Collapse of the Growth MachinePart 1: Power
Chapter 1. The Beachhead
Chapter 2. Perestroika Co-opted
Chapter 3. Suburbs of ExtractionPart 2: Structure
Chapter 4. Chinatown Redefined
Chapter 5. The Money Train
Chapter 6. The Reluctant MetropolisPart 3: Land
Chapter 7. The Education of Maria VanderKolk
Chapter 8. The Politics of ExtinctionPart 4: Money
Chapter 9. The Taking of Parcel K
Chapter 10. Welcome to Sales Tax CanyonPart 5: Consequences
Chapter 11. Whose Riot Was This, Anyway?
Chapter 12. Cloning Los Angeles
Chapter 13. Cocoon Citizenship and the Toon Town UrbanismAcknowledgments
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Photography Credits

Author Bio
Featured Contributor

William Fulton

William Fulton is an urban planning expert and the editor and publisher of California Planning & Development Report and author of The Regional City: Planning for the End of Sprawl (with Peter Calthorpe), Guide to California Planning, and California: Land and Legacy.