Paradise paved

the long version

In Paradise Paved, Raye Ringholz examines ongoing controversies and initiatives related to growth in towns such as Kremmling, St. George, Boulder, and Santa Fe, the high-profile communities of Jackson and Park City, and Las Vegas - the ultimate small town gone big. The problems faced by these towns vary in specifics, but the picture is one in which sudden growth - caused by an influx of new and often wealthy residents - overwhelms city services, drives property values up, and threatens to eliminate the qualities that made these places attractive in the first place. Those citizens leading efforts to limit growth are often the recent arrivals, while those favoring no restraints are frequently people with deep roots in the area who see moves to restrain the sudden appreciation of their formerly "worthless" land as a property-rights issue. Paradise Paved provides a picture of the ways in which modern western communities - all afflicted by the same problems - have attempted to deal with rampant expansion. It is an accessible effort to stimulate interest and problem-solving ideas among elected officials, community committees, and the voting public in western towns, as well as all Americans concerned about the New West.