"Few activities affect more powerfully the quality of life than the elementary design of our communities and the way they are blended with the natural environment. Randall Arendt has provided
the rules to combine this vision with attainable goals."---E.O. Wilson, Harvard University
"This is precisely the kind of tool local planners need. Most of us know in our gut what kind of communities we'd like to live in; this helps make it clearer what needs to happen for those
wishes to come true."---Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature and Deep Economy
"This book is the equal of Christopher Alexander's A Pattern Language. Schools of planning and design will flock to have this."---Jon Rodiek. Texas A&M, editor, Landscape & Urban
Planning
"Local officials, planners, developers, and interested citizens will find a true cornucopia of practical ideas for helping their communities grow with sense and grace. This book is an extremely
useful ready-reference."---Judy Corbett, executive director, Local Government Commission
Randall Arendt's work has shaped a generation of planners, designers, and landscape architects. Here, he brings his insights to a broader public, with a profusely illustrated demonstration of
how local officials, planning commissioners, developers, building owners, and citizens can make their communities more attractive, more habitable, and more sustainable.
In side-by-side comparisons of similar places and kinds of buildings, Arendt shows that we need not live amid sprawling, characterless visual blight. Simple design choices and enlightened
municipal and private-sector decisions can have tremendous impacts on the quality of our communities.
Written in a clear, nontechnical style, this book creates a sense of hope for those who face the everyday challenges of working with developers, space users, ordinances, and landowners to
create places that make economic, environmental, and aesthetic sense. Arendt shows us that with diligence, thoughtfulness, and care, we can make our communities better in countless ways.
