THE LAST LANDSCAPE

by William H. Whyte ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 23, 1968

William H. White, best known to the reading public for The Organization Man, has turned his gaze, and close attention, to what he terms the last landscape. He starts out with a positive note: ""The less of our landscape there is to save, the better our chances of saving it. . . . People have to be outraged."" He lances the idea of Experimental or new cities planted on the prairies, thinks that the significant growth is going to come in our present metropolitan areas--""I think we are going to see a build-up, not a fragmentation, of the core cities."" The positive note goes sharp when he points out that the decisions we make in the next few years will shape the kind of environment we are going to have in 1985 or in 2000: ""Our choices are many, but they are forced choices."" With these choices in mind, Mr. White surveys and analyzes the devices to obtain open space (police power or zoning, the fee simple, casements, the tax approach); the plans (the Year 2000 plan, Green Belts, linkage, the design of nature) for communities; development (cluster, new towns, projects); landscape action (scenic roads and roadsides, the townscape); design and density (high density vs. overcrowding, and what are the effects of under-crowding?). He hopes for a mix of more people and more open space, presses the case for and modes of action. His book should be the talk of town and country.

Pub Date: Aug. 23, 1968

ISBN: 0812217993

Page Count: -

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1968

Categories: NONFICTION