Description
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Three cheers for Richard Walker's The Country in the City, as one of the first efforts to bring together a community-scale history of environmental activism and politics . . . . There is a wealth of information here, particularly pinpointing some of the specific individuals who spearheaded various activist campaigns to improve the area's environment."
* Journal of Regional Science *
"The Country in the City clearly and concisely relates the story of a major environmental success. That this was achieved through the diligent efforts of a concerned population should give hope to other such populations nationwide."
* California History *
"Walker presents a highly readable case study of the San Francisco Bay Area. . . . An excellent book for all libraries, especially those with regional and environmentalist holdings. Highly recommended."
* Choice *
"The Country in the City is a masterful and much-needed chronicle of the Bay Area's diverse ecopolitical scene. It is a fruitful serendipity that such a rich and wonderful place has a scholar who, with intelligence and affection, can gracefully capture its green evolution."
* Orion *
"Walker makes our landscape come alive as the arena of an ongoing struggle to figure out how to live lightly and well in this remarkable corner of the planet."
* Bay Nature *
"Meticulously and succinctly, Walker recounts the early vision and the prolonged determination that resulted in our precious—- and all-too-rare—- situation. He guides the reader through the first stirrings of environmental consciousness, which soon were followed by struggles to set aside preserves, then forestall depredations, and finally establish benign public policies to guide development and land management. After reading this book, even those who already possess a green tinge in their thinking will understand the promise and peril of modern times as never before."
* San Francisco Chronicle Outdoors *
"Readers of The Country in the City will enjoy immersing themselves in the Bay Area's story. Readers will see that just as nature made this place, so did people— and it's up to people to keep doing so."
* Greenbelt Alliance *
"In The Country in the City, a history of local conservation and environmental activism, Walker delivers a deeply loving paean to this place where he grew up and has lived and worked and been a political activist all of his life."
* San Francisco Chronicle Book Review *
Table of ContentsForeword: Thinking Globally, Acting Locally / William Cronon
Preface
Abbreviations
Introduction: Saving Graces
1. Out of the Woods: Stirrings of Conservation
2. Fields of Gold: Resources at Close Quarters
3. Moving Outdoors: Parks for the People
4. The Upper West Side: Suburbia and Conservation
5. The Green and the Blue: Saving the Bay and the Coast
6. Encounters with the Arch-Modern: Regional Planning and Growth Control
7. Fasten Your Greenbelt: Triumph and Trust Funds
8. Sour Grapes: The Fight for the Wine Country
9. Toxic Landscapes: Beyond Open Space
10. Green Justice: Reclaiming the Inner City
Conclusion: City and Country Reconciled?
Appendix
Notes
Bibliography
Index
