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Library Journal Review

Garreau's rather indifferently written tome, originally produced as a series of Washington Post articles, describes the phenomenon of Edge Cities that have sprung up in various areas of the nation, usually in close proximity to intersecting highways and urban areas. These entities are found in former rural or residential areas and contain office and retail space, a population that increases at 9 a.m. on working days, and a local perception of the Edge City as the final destination for mixed-use shopping, jobs, and entertainment. Garreau describes how developers, planners, politicians, and others have combined in such areas as Northern and Central New Jersey, Boston, Detroit, Atlanta, Phoenix, Southern California, and the San Francisco Bay region to erect these new entities. He also discusses such interesting trends as the newly emergent black upper middle class in the Atlanta environs and the neo-Civil War battle to preserve the Manassas battlefield site in Virginia from developers. For general collections. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 5/15/91.--Norman Lederer, Thaddeus Stevens State Sch. of Technology, Lancaster, Pa. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly Review

Garreau ( The Nine Nations of North America ) shows that Americans, weary of daily commutes between suburb and city, are developing concentrated communities near major metropolitan areas that blend home, workplace, schools and recreation. He calls these all-inclusive urban centers ``edge cities'': among them, White Plains, near Manhattan; King of Prussia, outside of Philadelphia; Scottsdale and Tempe, adjacent to Phoenix. Nine chapters on specific regions include interviews with modern ``pioneers,'' professionals who have chosen the edge-city lifestyle, and planners such as controversial Northern Virginia developer John T. (Til) Hazel. Edge-city proponents make a case for practicality, safety and cultural growth, while detractors cite bland artificiality and environmental threats in the expanding realm of industrial parks and strip malls. Garreau maintains a casual style, incorporating statistical data, historical references and regional trivia into an eminently readable, thought-provoking, optimistic text. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

CHOICE Review

Edge City is the second book by Garreau, a Washington Post editor and author of the highly acclaimed The Nine Nations of North America (1981). This time the geographer-journalist focuses his formidable interpretive skills on another major topic: the swift rise of suburban cities that are already reshaping the nation's urban future. Deftly weaving insightful conceptualizations with shrewdly chosen case studies, Garreau very effectively traverses the high points of this vast and expanding subject. Without sacrificing his engaging writing style, Garreau offers so many stimulating hypotheses that the book must be regarded as a notable contribution to the budding interdisciplinary field of suburban studies, as well as to the much wider sphere of American cultural studies. Garreau's 54 pages of meticulous notes and bibliography further underscore the work's scholarly qualities. The book's only shortcoming is the inexcusable omission of maps and photos. Highly recommended for North American libraries at every level.-P. O. Muller, University of Miami