Designing the Megaregion: Meeting Urban Challenges at a New Scale
by Jonathan Barnett
Island Press, 2020 Paper: 978-1-64283-043-9 | eISBN: 978-1-64283-044-6 Library of Congress Classification HT391.B3517 2020 Dewey Decimal Classification 307.12
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC | REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
ABOUT THIS BOOK
The US population is estimated to grow by more than 110 million people by 2050, and much of this growth will take place where cities and their suburbs are expanding to meet the suburbs of neighboring cities, creating continuous urban megaregions. There are now at least a dozen megaregions in the US. If current trends continue unchanged, new construction in these megaregions will put more and more stress on the natural systems that are necessary for our existence, will make highway gridlock and airline delays much worse, and will continue to attract investment away from older areas. However, the megaregion in 2050 is still a prediction. Future economic and population growth could go only to environmentally safe locations. while helping repair landscapes damaged by earlier development. Improved transportation systems could reduce highway and airport congestion. Some new investment could be drawn to by-passed parts of older cities, which are becoming more separate and unequal.
In Designing the Megaregion, planning and urban design expert Jonathan Barnett describes how to redesign megaregional growth using mostly private investment, without having to wait for massive government funding or new governmental structures. Barnett explains practical initiatives to make new development fit into its environmental setting, especially important as the climate changes; reorganize transportation systems to pull together all the components of these large urban regions; and redirect the market forces which are making megaregions very unequal places.
There is an urgent need to begin designing megaregions, and Barnett shows that the ways to make major improvements are already available.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Jonathan Barnett is an emeritus Professor of Practice in City and Regional Planning, and former director of the Urban Design Program, at the University of Pennsylvania. He is an architect and planner as well as an educator, and is the author of numerous books and articles on the theory and practice of city design. Barnett is a fellow of the American Institute of Architects and a fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners. He has been awarded the Dale Prize for Excellence in Urban Design and Regional Planning, the Athena Medal from the Congress for the New Urbanism, and the William H. Whyte Award from the Partners for Livable Communities for being a pioneer in urban design education and practice.
REVIEWS
"Barnett proposes practical solutions and offers commonsense observations on what to avoid in the future."
— Choice
"The strength of the book lies in its emphasis on regional planning and the environmental context, examples of regional governance, and latest innovations in transportation and land use planning…. Barnett has provided invaluable insights into a regional form of planning that does not receive as much attention in the literature as it deserves."
— Journal of Urban Affairs
"In the era of thinking about infrastructure, we can only hope that planners and policy-makers will pick up this concise and thoughtful book and use it as a guide for reimagining regional planning and design."
— Journal of Urban Design
“Jonathan Barnett … has written the definitive book on the subject of regional planning for contemporary times.”
— Planetizen: Top Urban Planning Books of 2020
"Slim and thorough account."
— Planning
"Megaregions are becoming the new engines of our society. Jonathan Barnett opens new horizons to the challenge of integrating economic development, social equity, and environmental sustainability. Designing the Megaregion is a meaningful and inspiring contribution for the future of designing cities."
— Alfonso Vegara, Founder and Group President of Fundacion Metropoli
"Jonathan Barnett's practical suggestions for coordinated action at the local, regional, state, and federal levels to build sustainable, equitable megaregions will be of interest to planners, policy makers, and others engaged in urban issues."
— David Rouse, FAICP, Urban and Regional Planning Consultant & former Managing Director of Research and Advisory Services for the American Planning Association
"Jonathan Barnett clearly describes the roots and relevancy of many urban and regional forms and systems, providing an opportunity for shared understanding and collaboration by everyone interested in the fate of cities. Especially important, he lays out the relationship of fundamental policy choices to racial, environmental, and economic inequities, as well as pathways toward more equitable development. Readers would do well to consider Designing the Megaregion as a gateway to further investigation and an invitation to participate in the design of their megaregions."
— Mami Hara, General Manager/CEO of Seattle Public Utilities
"In Designing the Megaregion, Jonathan Barnett cogently explains why developing frequent, trip-time competitive passenger rail service linking cities along fast-growing corridors in megaregions is the only way to avoid highway and aviation congestion."
— Stephen J. Gardner, Senior Executive Vice President & Chief Operating and Commercial Officer, Amtrak
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Front Cover
About Island Press
Subscribe
Title Page
Copyright Page
Contents
Foreword
1: A New Scale for Urban Challenges
2: Recognizing Ecoregions as the Context for Development
3: Relating Development to the Natural Environment
4: The Northeast Megaregion: Prototype for Balanced Transportation
5: Progress Toward Fast-Enough Trains in Megaregions
6: Achieving Balanced Transportation in Megaregions
7: Inequities Build into Megaregions
8: Reducing Inequality in Megaregions
9: Adapting Governmental Structures to Manage Megaregions
10: Rewriting Local Regulations to Promote Sustainability and Equity
Conclustion: A Design Agenda for Megaregions
Illustration Credits
Notes
Index
About the Author
IP Board of Directors
REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
If you are a student who cannot use this book in printed form, BiblioVault may be able to supply you
with an electronic file for alternative access.
Please have the accessibility coordinator at your school fill out this form.
Designing the Megaregion: Meeting Urban Challenges at a New Scale
by Jonathan Barnett
Island Press, 2020 Paper: 978-1-64283-043-9 eISBN: 978-1-64283-044-6
The US population is estimated to grow by more than 110 million people by 2050, and much of this growth will take place where cities and their suburbs are expanding to meet the suburbs of neighboring cities, creating continuous urban megaregions. There are now at least a dozen megaregions in the US. If current trends continue unchanged, new construction in these megaregions will put more and more stress on the natural systems that are necessary for our existence, will make highway gridlock and airline delays much worse, and will continue to attract investment away from older areas. However, the megaregion in 2050 is still a prediction. Future economic and population growth could go only to environmentally safe locations. while helping repair landscapes damaged by earlier development. Improved transportation systems could reduce highway and airport congestion. Some new investment could be drawn to by-passed parts of older cities, which are becoming more separate and unequal.
In Designing the Megaregion, planning and urban design expert Jonathan Barnett describes how to redesign megaregional growth using mostly private investment, without having to wait for massive government funding or new governmental structures. Barnett explains practical initiatives to make new development fit into its environmental setting, especially important as the climate changes; reorganize transportation systems to pull together all the components of these large urban regions; and redirect the market forces which are making megaregions very unequal places.
There is an urgent need to begin designing megaregions, and Barnett shows that the ways to make major improvements are already available.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Jonathan Barnett is an emeritus Professor of Practice in City and Regional Planning, and former director of the Urban Design Program, at the University of Pennsylvania. He is an architect and planner as well as an educator, and is the author of numerous books and articles on the theory and practice of city design. Barnett is a fellow of the American Institute of Architects and a fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners. He has been awarded the Dale Prize for Excellence in Urban Design and Regional Planning, the Athena Medal from the Congress for the New Urbanism, and the William H. Whyte Award from the Partners for Livable Communities for being a pioneer in urban design education and practice.
REVIEWS
"Barnett proposes practical solutions and offers commonsense observations on what to avoid in the future."
— Choice
"The strength of the book lies in its emphasis on regional planning and the environmental context, examples of regional governance, and latest innovations in transportation and land use planning…. Barnett has provided invaluable insights into a regional form of planning that does not receive as much attention in the literature as it deserves."
— Journal of Urban Affairs
"In the era of thinking about infrastructure, we can only hope that planners and policy-makers will pick up this concise and thoughtful book and use it as a guide for reimagining regional planning and design."
— Journal of Urban Design
“Jonathan Barnett … has written the definitive book on the subject of regional planning for contemporary times.”
— Planetizen: Top Urban Planning Books of 2020
"Slim and thorough account."
— Planning
"Megaregions are becoming the new engines of our society. Jonathan Barnett opens new horizons to the challenge of integrating economic development, social equity, and environmental sustainability. Designing the Megaregion is a meaningful and inspiring contribution for the future of designing cities."
— Alfonso Vegara, Founder and Group President of Fundacion Metropoli
"Jonathan Barnett's practical suggestions for coordinated action at the local, regional, state, and federal levels to build sustainable, equitable megaregions will be of interest to planners, policy makers, and others engaged in urban issues."
— David Rouse, FAICP, Urban and Regional Planning Consultant & former Managing Director of Research and Advisory Services for the American Planning Association
"Jonathan Barnett clearly describes the roots and relevancy of many urban and regional forms and systems, providing an opportunity for shared understanding and collaboration by everyone interested in the fate of cities. Especially important, he lays out the relationship of fundamental policy choices to racial, environmental, and economic inequities, as well as pathways toward more equitable development. Readers would do well to consider Designing the Megaregion as a gateway to further investigation and an invitation to participate in the design of their megaregions."
— Mami Hara, General Manager/CEO of Seattle Public Utilities
"In Designing the Megaregion, Jonathan Barnett cogently explains why developing frequent, trip-time competitive passenger rail service linking cities along fast-growing corridors in megaregions is the only way to avoid highway and aviation congestion."
— Stephen J. Gardner, Senior Executive Vice President & Chief Operating and Commercial Officer, Amtrak
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Front Cover
About Island Press
Subscribe
Title Page
Copyright Page
Contents
Foreword
1: A New Scale for Urban Challenges
2: Recognizing Ecoregions as the Context for Development
3: Relating Development to the Natural Environment
4: The Northeast Megaregion: Prototype for Balanced Transportation
5: Progress Toward Fast-Enough Trains in Megaregions
6: Achieving Balanced Transportation in Megaregions
7: Inequities Build into Megaregions
8: Reducing Inequality in Megaregions
9: Adapting Governmental Structures to Manage Megaregions
10: Rewriting Local Regulations to Promote Sustainability and Equity
Conclustion: A Design Agenda for Megaregions
Illustration Credits
Notes
Index
About the Author
IP Board of Directors
REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
If you are a student who cannot use this book in printed form, BiblioVault may be able to supply you
with an electronic file for alternative access.
Please have the accessibility coordinator at your school fill out this form.
It can take 2-3 weeks for requests to be filled.
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC | REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE