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Book Review by T.J. Cieciura Published in the Ontario Planning Journal
Better not Bigger: How to Take Control of Urban Growth and Improve Your Community
Author: Fodor, Eben; Published by New Society Publishers, BC; 1999; 153 pages; $17.95
As the title suggests, the topic of this book is focused squarely on controlling urban growth which, for the purpose of this work, is defined as the “quantative increase in the size of the urban built environment.” The book “is intended to be a resource for individuals and groups who want to get off the treadmill of urban growth.”
The tone is set early with repeated statements about the negative impacts of growth on the health and welfare of people living in growing municipalities. Many of Fodor’s viewpoints centre on the assumption that people do not want their communities to grow but that growth is being forced upon them by the “urban growth machine.” This machine is made up of business interests including land owners, real estate developers, mortgage bankers, realtors, construction companies and contractors, cement, sand and gravel companies and building suppliers. Furthermore, the perception seems to be that planners are the handmaidens of the growth industry. The author even goes as far as stating that “the business of planning has become primarily the process of accomodating growth.”
Fodor contends that planning practice has an interest in the management of growth. He maintains that planned growth fails to address the amount that is desirable and that planners should be more aware of whether growth is desirable at all. Fodor says that while the market is not the sole progenitor of urban growth, the growth machine actually perpetuates the notion that growth is inevitable, thereby causing growth itself. He does not explicitly state that planners have exacerbated the problems associated with urban sprawl but neither does he identify the positive impacts of planning that may have been lost without professionals attempting to order growth and development.
The concepts and ides in this book are worthwhile and would augment any planner’s knowledge base. The research is sound, and well written, using clear terminology. This adds to its credibility and can be recommended as a guide to identifying issues surrounding the growth process.
Better not Bigger: How to Take Control of Urban Growth and Improve Your Community
Author: Fodor, Eben; Published by New Society Publishers, BC; 1999; 153 pages; $17.95
As the title suggests, the topic of this book is focused squarely on controlling urban growth which, for the purpose of this work, is defined as the “quantative increase in the size of the urban built environment.” The book “is intended to be a resource for individuals and groups who want to get off the treadmill of urban growth.”
The tone is set early with repeated statements about the negative impacts of growth on the health and welfare of people living in growing municipalities. Many of Fodor’s viewpoints centre on the assumption that people do not want their communities to grow but that growth is being forced upon them by the “urban growth machine.” This machine is made up of business interests including land owners, real estate developers, mortgage bankers, realtors, construction companies and contractors, cement, sand and gravel companies and building suppliers. Furthermore, the perception seems to be that planners are the handmaidens of the growth industry. The author even goes as far as stating that “the business of planning has become primarily the process of accomodating growth.”
Fodor contends that planning practice has an interest in the management of growth. He maintains that planned growth fails to address the amount that is desirable and that planners should be more aware of whether growth is desirable at all. Fodor says that while the market is not the sole progenitor of urban growth, the growth machine actually perpetuates the notion that growth is inevitable, thereby causing growth itself. He does not explicitly state that planners have exacerbated the problems associated with urban sprawl but neither does he identify the positive impacts of planning that may have been lost without professionals attempting to order growth and development.
The concepts and ides in this book are worthwhile and would augment any planner’s knowledge base. The research is sound, and well written, using clear terminology. This adds to its credibility and can be recommended as a guide to identifying issues surrounding the growth process.