Liberal Dreams and Nature's Limits

the long version

To assess the present condition of cities, Liberal Dreams and Nature's Limits focuses on five large North American cities at various times in the past - Philadelphia (about 1760), New York (1860), Chicago (1910), Los Angeles (1950), and Toronto (1975). Life inside these cities - specifically the economy, society and politics, public services, land development, and the geographies of circulation, workplaces, and residential districts - is the central concern of this book. Another concern is drawing contrasts and similarities between the American and Canadian urban experiences.