Contemporary Urban Planning Book Review

670 Words3 Pages
In Contemporary Urban Planning, Levy presents planning as a simple concept but an increasingly complex political charged and public activity in an informal format. He focuses on “public planning at the sub-state level, that which is done by and for cities, counties, towns, and other units of local governments.” (Levy vii) “The reader who has at least sampled other books on planning will notice that this book has some particular emphasis, specifically on politics, economics, ideology, law, and the question of who benefits and who loses by particular decisions.” (Levy vii) Levy conveys the reality of planning as a highly political activity. He demonstrates that planning in an open and democratic society cannot be smooth and simple. The book is not intended to discourage students from the planning profession, but gives an overview of the process and demonstrates sometimes there are large benefits to some and large losses to others. Levy’s book makes the assumption that most of the readers will not become planners, but does have some value in the course of a liberal education. The book’s greatest strength is that it gives students an introduction to the planning profession that anyone can understand. The book helps students understand the historical development of cities and places an emphasis on connecting planning with ideas. “The best and most effective planners are those with good peripheral vision—those who not only have mastered the technical side of planning but also understand the relationships between planning issues and the major forces in the society around them. I have endeavored to write a text consistent with that view.” (Levy viii) The City Reader is a very interesting collection of essays from prominent intellectuals who have shown concern over the development of cities in various aspects. The book is written in a format
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