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States of childhood : from the junior republic to the American republic, 1895-1945

Online MIT Press Direct

The nature of cities : ecological visions and the American urban professions, 1920-1960

In the early twentieth century, America was transformed from a predominantly agricultural nation to one whose population resided mostly in cities. Yet rural areas continued to hold favored status in the country's political life. For prominent figures in the social sciences, city planning, and real estate who were anxious about the future of cities, this obsession with the agrarian past inspired a new campaign for urban reform. They called for ongoing programs of natural resource management to be extended to maintain and improve cities. Jennifer S. Light finds in the rise and fall of the American conservation movement a new understanding of the history of urban renewal in the United States. The professionals Light examines came to view America's urban landscapes as ecological communities requiring scientific management on par with forests and farms. "The Nature of Cities" brings together environmental and urban history to reveal how, over four decades, this ecological vision shaped the development of cities around the nation.

From warfare to welfare : defense intellectuals and urban problems in Cold War America

"Jennifer S. Light argues that the technologies and values of the cold war fundamentally shaped the history of postwar urban America. From Warfare to Welfare examines how American intellectuals, city leaders, and the federal government chose to attack problems in the nation's cities by borrowing techniques and technologies first designed for military engagement with foreign enemies. Facing threats like urban chaos, blight, and unrest, urban problem solvers adapted the expertise of defense professionals. Light traces the transfer of innovations from military to city planning and management. She thereby reveals how a continuing source of inspiration for American city administrators lay in the nation's preparations for war."--JacketDuring the early decades of the Cold War, large-scale investments in American defense and aerospace research and development spawned a variety of problem-solving techniques, technologies, and institutions. From systems analysis to reconnaissance satellites to think tanks, these innovations did not remain exclusive accessories of the defense establishment. Instead, they readily found civilian applications in both the private and public sector. City planning and management were no exception. Jennifer Light argues that the technologies and values of the Cold War fundamentally shaped the history of postwar urban America. From Warfare to Welfare documents how American intellectuals, city leaders, and the federal government chose to attack problems in the nation's cities by borrowing techniques and technologies first designed for military engagement with foreign enemies. Experiments in urban problem solving adapted the expertise of defense professionals to face new threats: urban chaos, blight, and social unrest. Tracing the transfer of innovations from military to city planning and management, Light reveals how a continuing source of inspiration for American city administrators lay in the nation's preparations for war.

Online EBSCO Academic Comprehensive Collection