Mr. Kolson's grasp of the history and politics of urban design is remarkable. My one criticism is "Big Plans..." is more about the former than the latter. The other point he makes is that Jane Jacobs was right and the planners and urban designers are more about order than about how a city develops, although sometimes they are guided by a firm political hand, e.g. the Catholic Church in Italy, the governments in Britain and France. I would have appreciated knowing what Mr. Kolson thinks urban design should be about, which ones succeeded and why, and how to make an urban design in the competitive development community, chaotic and competing opinions in our democracy, and just plain political stupidity of America's city planning markets. I would appreciate some ideas from Mr. Kolson about how urban designers should think and what should be the focus of their civic designs in today's world that needs order and a community focus more than ever.

This book is a fascinating review of the way governments attempt to control the growth and architecture of cities. It proceeds chronologically from Trajan's Rome to present day London, with a special emphasis on Cleveland of the early 1900's. While this area of study has a long history (think of Lewis Mumford's "The City in History"), this is not just another academic tome. Ken Kolson has made both the history and the academic debates accessible to the layman.

Here's the question: Can a governmental unit, whether an emperor, city planner, zoning commission, or legislature, succeed in making a city more vibrant or livable? Here's a hint from the book -- in Reston, VA homeowners in a development pay $11,000 apiece to demolish a modernist plaza designed as public space for the community. From the forced imploding of public housing to the history of urban "renewal" in our large cities, the dismal track record of governmental actions in cities is in front of us every day. Ken Kolson lays it out here in a breezy, informative style that teaches but doesn't preach.

If you enjoy architecture, politics, or industrial archeology (my interest), buy this book! You won't be sorry! If you live in Northeast Ohio, buy it regardless -- just tying the history to the existing structures in Cleveland today should be fascinating!

I hope this book will keep alive the debate of what the future holds for America's cities.