Featured Book - "The Option of Urbanism"

Christopher B. Leinberger
The Option of Urbanism: Investing in a New American Dream
Island Press, 2008, 307.760973 LEI

Property developer Christopher B. Leinberger has spent his career merging profitable and progressive urban development, and brings this mix of pragmatism and idealism to his new book, where he maps out the past 60 years of urban growth, and predicts the paths consumer choice will lead it down in the years to come.

Complementing the usual arguments against personal car use, from peak oil to carbon emissions, Leinberger demonstrates that American property-buyers are already choosing to abandon the predominant form of property development, the “drivable suburb,” in favour of a more compact urban environment that places work, rest and play within walking distance.

Demonstrating the effects of lobbying from car manufactures and the oil industry in driving these developments, Leinberger argues instead for a genuinely market-driven reform of the built environment that would lead to improvements in both public health and the environment.

If you would like to borrow a copy of The Option of Urbanism: Investing in a New American Dream, please contact the RSA Library.