Rating: 
Summary: Don't buy this book . .
Review: Unless you are interested in an extended neo-liberal rant against contemporary planning and society in general. I was hoping that this book would offer a balanced historical analysis of urban planning, and it does for a few pages, but it quickly degenerates into a rant against modern planning and lifestyles. The authors clearly do not see any merit in the suburban way of life, particularly the car. Certainly, there is much criticize about modern suburbia, but the authors are rather extreme in criticisms. They include bizarre and snide comments such as complaining about Americans' "absurd levels of wealth." Even worse, the book is poorly researched -- its written like a high school paper, with a footnote here or there to illustrate points, except that the footnotes are simply meaningless studies reprinted in the mass media or other neo-liberal books critical of all aspects of modern suburbia. Thus, not only is this book an embarassment for those who are looking for a balanced analysis of modern urban planning, it is a shoddy and circular effort from a purely academic standpoint. Stand clear of this one.
Rating: 
Summary: This book is fantastic.
Review: They lay out in factual detail what suburban sprawl has done to the American landscape as no other book I have ever read on the subject. And yet, it is upbeat and hopeful, presenting many positive examples of good design and explaining in a wonderful analysis of the photographs what makes the two designs different.Also, they cut to the heart of the problem, showing how government regulations, influenced by automobile lobbyists and oil lobbyists have created a landscape designed to maximize the use of the automobile and gasoline.
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Summary: Excellent solutions to a desperate problem
Review: The book might strike some as being a bit evangelical, but who can blame the authors for being so enthusiastic about promoting their sensible and proven solutions to a problem that has totally vandalised America's urban landscape? Given America's overdependance on oil and the sensitivity of Middle-Eastern politics, the benefits of this approach for national security are obvious. As a European I am struck by how the newer 'cities' in America seem to be an endless expanse of highwyas, gas stations, fast food outlets, strip malls with precious little atmosphere and no visible people. I am so annoyed by the fact that if I'm at home and need to buy something as small as a stamp, I have to get in my car and drive 2 miles to a shop. This book clearly explains why this is so and has inspired be to get involved in local politics to make sure that the enlightened view espoused by this book is heard in local government. One thing I disagree with though. The authors have an aversion to cul-de-sacs on the basis that they supposedly contribute to congestion on the trunk roads. But that is based on the all-American assumption that everyone is going to drive a car. Cul-de-sacs exist quite happily in Europe along with comprehensive mass-transit systems and are ideal for families with young children who can play on the street in safety.
Rating:
Summary: horriable
Review: This is one of the worst books I have ever read. The opinions are so biased and unfair. Any of the evidence that they so call "back up" their arguments with are unsubstantial and has no real value. This book is very aggravating to me and should not be read by anyone.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: This book is great just because it has a little bit of information on every topic pertaining to city planning. It's an easy read, and hard to put down because it is so interesting. I enjoyed the parts of the book that dealt with the sociological image of the house.
Rating: 
Summary: A Good Place to Start
Review: Suburban Nation does a great job of pointing out all the problems with modern day sprawl. From traffic to land use to the evisl of zoning, Suburban Nation explains it all. The book lacks a clear solution to the problem, especially neglecting the industrial areas of the city. Other than that, the book is a great eyeopener to the evils of urban sprawl.
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Summary: Did you realize how suburban sprawl affects the USA?
Review: This book allowed me to understand why the US cities look so different from the European ones. Over the years the cult of car and the construction of vast network of highways contributed to SPRAWL: - cookie cutter houses - wide, treeless and sidewalk-free roads - mindlessly curving cul-de-sacs - streetscape of garage doors After the war Federal Housing Administration and Veterans Administration offered loans to finance new suburban homes, thus discouraging renovation of existing housing. Simultaneously a 41000 mile interstate highway construction program, couples with regional road expansion projects, and the neglect of mass transit, helped make automotive commuting affordable and convenient for average citizen. People no longer walk, they get into their cars (most often too big, btw) to drive to the nearest strip malls. Walking is either not possible (no sidewalks, no lights to cross the road) or not pleasant because of architecture of buildings, noise protecting walls etc. Crosswalks are sometimes erased on the grounds of pedestrian safety. Indeed in some areas drivers are not used to see walking people and do not stop at their red-light-turns. Shops followed customers to the suburbs. I was really shocked by the deserted after 5 pm capital city of Jackson, Ms. The same happened in Detroit, Hartford, Des moines, Syracuse, Tampa and on many more places. Old-time walkable cities (or their parts) like Boston's Beacon Hill, Santa Fe, Nantucket, Annapolis, Nantucket - are fun for tourists and residents but are also violating zoning regulations. Contemporary housing subdivisions (clusters or pods) consist only of residences, even if are called neighbourhoods. You will not find a convenience shop, or a library, or a school on site. Also, they are carefully separated from the neighbouring clusters. Subdivisions have wide internal roads, which are very wide unlike old-type yield roads with one traffic lanes to accomodate both directions. Such roads/streets are good for drivers but not for pedestrians. These roads are then connected at only one point to the main collector road. Here another truth needs emphasizing - adding lanes to highways only makes traffic worse, does not solve the jams. Los Angeles, NYC or or Atlanta provide good example. Highways only mitigate people against leaving closer to work. Increased traffic capacity causes people to drive more - after discovering this truth Britain cut their road building budgets, but not Americans. Mass transit is the only solution, and it has to start with pedestrians. Park and ride solutions are not very helpful No more housing subdivisions! No more shopping centers! No more office parks! No more highways! Neighbourhoods or nothing!
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Summary: Read it, pass it on, act on it.
Review: As a builder by profession, and a city and regional planner by training, and above all--as a person who deeply cares about the physical environment and the everyday quality of life therein--I consider this book an outstanding contribution to all efforts at intelligent and creative growth management. I believe it will rank with Ian McHarg's Design With Nature, Rasmussen's Experiencing Architecure, and Vernacular Architecture as a book that crystalizes ideas regarding the way we build that must not be ignored. For best results you may want to digest The Geography of Nowhere by Kunstler right before or after Suburban Nation. In any case, combine both with your own personal call to action!
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Summary: Strong plea for traditional neighborhood design
Review: Duany and others make a compelling case for the organizing principles of traditional neighborhoods, with lots of illustrative examples. They also speak plainly about the sad state of architectural culture today. Their belief in the power of good design and planning to right all social ills probably needs to be taken with a grain of salt, but if they overstate their case, that is perhaps better than understating it. Certainly bad planning and design can have disastrous effects, as anyone stranded in a strip mall can attest. My only complaints is that the photo inserts are much too small for a topic that is so visual in nature, and that Duany et al. tend to be somewhat self-congratulatory in their tone.
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Summary: Town, Civic, and DOT planners take note!!!
Review: This book says it all. While we can't and shouldn't blame all of our societal ills on poor planning, this book makes you think twice. After some travels in Germany, I saw towns that made sense -- robust downtown shopping, parks in use everywhere, great mass transit, everyone walking or riding bicycles to shop, schools, and work, farmland on town outskirts valued to provide food, etc. I also noted that both trains and roads between towns co-exist well -- Germans love their cars! I began to wonder what happened to the towns in the USA. Why did our train system die, and why is so much farmland being eaten up by sprawl and draining our downtowns of life? Why does everyone need a car? Then I read this book which explained the root of the problem -- single use zoning. Our country is becoming more segregated both physically and economically, resulting in more social problems. Anyone involved in planning and zoning needs to read this book and apply its principles to help our country on the road to recovery. Many new recent towns following this advice are becoming very successful and desired places to live, and older city centers are becoming revitalized.
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