The American Planner Biographies and Recollections

This is a book about the giants of American planning - the urban and regional planners who shaped the American landscape over the last century. In sensitive, compelling essays, the contributors explore the myths and virtues of the planning profession in human terms - the frustrations, hopes, anger, pride, fears, dreams, and foolishness of the leading practitioners of the field.Donald A. Krueckeberg's unique compilation of biographies shows how planners were molded by the conflicting demands of self and culture - and how that fusion was reflected in their actions and impacts on American society. Catherine Bauer, Alfred Bettman, Daniel Burnham, Kevin Lynch, Benton MacKaye, Lewis Mumford, Frederick Law Olmsted, Rexford Tugwell - and a host of other visionaries - come to life on the pages of this work.Why should we read these stories? "In the sharing of these secrets," Krueckeberg writes, "planners form a culture, a community of ideas and contentions that define and redefine our salvation in our practices." The book realizes the hope of all good biography: it shows how particular planners acquired their personalities from the demands of self and culture and how that fusion was reflected in their actions and their impacts on American society. This is essential reading for every planner, from student to hardened veteran.