American Urban History

Callow, Alexander B., ed.
3rd. ed. Oxford: Oxford University, 1982.

Now in its third edition, Callow's classroom standard contains essays on numerous aspects of city growth, authored by the founders of the field of urban history.

Nature's Metropolis:

Chicago and the Great West

Cronon, William
New York: Norton, 1992

Cronon's masterpiece changed the way people view the development of urban America. Nature's Metropolis chronicles the rise of Chicago as one of the world's greatest cities, from the unique perspective of Chicago and its economic relationship to its "hinterlands" or outlying regions.

Downtown:

Its Rise and Fall, 1880-1950

Fogelson, Robert
New Haven: Yale University, 2003

MIT professor Fogelson issues a prize-winning, readable work in his Downtown, covering the glory years of the central business district in American history. Fogelson's work gives particular insight into the urban political processes and debates that shaped cities.

The Death and Life of Great American Cities

Jacobs, Jane
New York: Vintage, 1961

Perhaps the most well-known critique of urban renewal, Death and Life is required reading in nearly every university in America. Using Greenwich Village and Morningside Heights as her classroom, Jacobs shows remarkable insights into what makes cities succeed or fail.

Charter of the New Urbanism

Leccese, Michael
and Kathleen McCormick, eds
New York: McGraw Hill, 2000.

American cities, once limited by the distance a person could walk, began sprawling beyond their 'natural' borders once the automobile became ubiquitous. In this book, the Congress of the New Urbanism offers design solutions to return cities to a more pedestrian friendly feel.

The Making of Urban America

Mohl, Raymond A., ed.
DE: SR Books, 1997

Professor Raymond Mohl's Making of Urban America updates the field of urban history by including essays on social, ethnic, and gender-based views of American cities, including a well-researched bibliographic essay citing numerous important works of social history.

The City in History:

Its Origins, Its Transformations, and Its Prospects

Mumford, Lewis
1st ed. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1961

There is no more cited or well-read tome on the city than Mumford’s magnum opus. A dense work beginning with the city’s prehistory and concluding near the Cold War era, this book is an essential study guide.

The Pacific Slope:

A History of California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah, and Nevada

Pomeroy, Earl
Reno: University of Nevada, 2003

Pomeroy's classic work describes general growth of the six states constituting the Pacific Slope. The chapters on economic development are particularly good reads, outlining from a comparative standpoint the growth of the West's largest cities (including Boise).

Urban Sprawl:

Causes, Consequences, and Policy Responses

Squires, Gregory D., ed.
Washington D.C.: Urban Institute, 2002

No issue consumes more time for municipalities than planning for the effects of urban sprawl. Squires' collection of essays includes works from historians, architects, planners, and sociologists, providing a complete picture of the development of America's sprawling landscape and some plausible responses.

Web Resources

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An organization that brings together practicing planners, citizens and elected officials committed to making great communities happen.

A Chicago-based nonprofit that teaches architects, developers, planners and others involved in the creation of cities and towns how to implement the principles of New Urbanism.