The Building of Cities: Development and Conflict

by Harvey H. Kaiser

Overview

In this classic book that records a moment in the history of urban planning, the architect and city planner Harvey H. Kaiser examines the city-building process from the time when a proposal for urban development is first conceived to the early stages of construction. To illuminate the factors that underlie acceptance or rejection of community development, Kaiser focuses on the proposals for three towns in upstate New York—Lysander (near Syracuse) and Gananda and Riverton (both near Rochester). These were brand-new developments and municipalities, and thus quite different from other trends of suburbanization that attached development onto existing municipalities. Step by step, he describes what happened in each of these communities during the presentation of the initial proposal, how parties interacted with each other, and how the climate of the community influenced the actions of the parties.Basing his work on hundreds of interviews, attendance at public meetings, and a review of many articles and documents, Kaiser shows that in each case the emergence of controversy and degree of acceptance was influenced by the developer’s leadership, the characteristics of the developer’s organization, and the method of presenting the proposal to the public. Kaiser brings to his comparative approach a background in the rough and tumble of day-to-day project management and the development of plans as well as their administration. First published in 1978, The Building of Cities remains an invaluable resource for developers, architects, public officials, and citizens involved in local government.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780801411021
Publisher:	Cornell University Press
Publication date:	03/31/1978
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.88(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Harvey H. Kaiser is the President and founder of Harvey H. Kaiser Associates, Inc. (HHK), a consulting firm providing services in architecture, urban planning, and facilities management. He served for more than twenty years as a higher education administrator at Syracuse University, as a Senior Vice President and University Architect and as Associate Professor in the School of Architecture and Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. He is the author of many books, including Great Camps of the Adirondacks and Landmarks in the Landscape.

Table of Contents

Abbreviations 13

1 Development and Conflict 17

The Central Issues of Change 19

Leadership 25

Nature of a Project and Individual Response 28

Environment of the Proposal 32

Approaching the Issues 34

Summary 37

2 City Building 39

Urbanization 40

Urban Land Development: Social Values 44

Urban Land Development: The Process 48

Factors Influencing the Sequence of Decisions 51

Interaction of Participants in the Process 59

Summary 66

3 Lysander (Radisson) 68

Project Description 69

The Urban Development Corporation 75

Voices of Concern 78

Community Advisory Committee 84

Strategy of Dissent 88

UDC's Strategy of Persuasion 94

Summary 98

4 Gananda 103

Project Description 103

Course of Events 110

Local Government and Agency Approval 120

Education: A Knotty Problem 124

Management Problems 128

Summary 130

5 Riverton 135

Project Background 137

Robert E. Simon and the Management Team 140

Project Development 142

Master Plan Development 147

Town Review of the PUD Application 153

Regional and Federal Project Review 160

Avoiding Controversy: A Continuing Task 162

Summary 165

6 Urban Development and New Communities 171

Factors Affecting the Development Process 176

Summary 187

Epilogue 193

Appendix: Macedon-Walworth New Community District Zoning Ordinance 203

Index 215

Editorial Reviews

This succinct, well-organized account of three of the fifteen or more attempts at new town development in the last decade is a valuable contribution to the extensive 'new towns' literature as well as to the broader body of work on land use and urban planning in the U.S.

Choice

"Almost every age and civilization has had a fascination with new citiies.... Kaiser shows that such endeavors are not without significant conflict involving citizens, developers, and government officials. The story is not yet over, but this description of the developmental processes will interest both citizen and official."—Library Journal

From the Publisher