Three short reviews of Island Press books

Island Press publishes books on environmental subjects. Here are three that consider important issues in urban renewal, the built environment, and sustainability.

Urbanism without Effort
Charles Wolfe has managed to articulate what has always troubled me about city renovations - no matter how professionally done, they often look fake, superficial. Wolfe has conducted what he calls photocentric archaeology in old cities that developed according to people's needs over time, and has come up with some interesting observations. The loss of human scale is a problem with overly planned spaces - some of them look like people don't belong there at all. He notes that modern architecture is often static, controlling rather than supporting human movement, comfort, and flexibility. A thriving city needs organic growth and adaptive reuse in order to stay authentic.

Conservation for Cities
Conservation for Cities, by Robert McDonald, is an engaging look at the potential for "natural infrastructure" in urban areas - the role that greenery and other natural constructs can have in keeping a densely populated city cool, safe, fed, and financially successful while still having the lowest possible negative effect on wildlife. Contrary to some opinions that cities are evil, McDonald suggests that they can be environmentally beneficial: resource efficient, protective of wildlife, and better able to manage water and waste.

The Shape of Green "Does sustainability change the face of design or only its content?" An interesting question for those of us who get a little tired of considering how much we'll have to "give up" to create a sustainable world. Yes, we should probably give up gasoline and meat and big houses and maybe even capitalism, but what do we get besides bare bones survival? Do we have to give up beauty, too? No. Great design and green design are not mutually exclusive, despite the common wisdom that says sustainable design is not only ugly, but necessarily ugly. After reviewing the reasons builders separate green from pretty, the author (a writer for Architect Magazine), argues that beauty is inherent in sustainability. Interesting, well-referenced, knowledgeable and thorough.

All three highly recommended.

I received free copies of these books in exchange for a review on NetGalley.