Re: New book

[Linda Pall <lpall@moscow.com>]

Dear Ron and Visionaries,

Thanks for the suggestion of this book...it sounds very provocative. 

I also would like to suggest that you take a look at "Back from the Brink,"
a video I think the Architecture School has and is a PBS video dealing with
Chattanooga, Portland, OR., Suisan City, CA and  maybe one other place...I
don't recall exactly. This film was the product of architects and city
planners who looked at what really worked in cities to revitalize the
conditions of growth and resurgence of spirit. Each of the three I remember
had a great story to tell...

The visual inventory approach that the new volume suggests to characterize
what makes livable cities is a great tool that has been used innovatively in
many communities. We may very well do this as the city and downtown look
again at Moscow's heart.

Please continue to keep your eye out  for these helpful resources. I
especially appreciate it and am headed for my local bookstore (i.e.,
BookPeople!!!) to purchase this one...only because I can't find my UI
library card.

Thanks again, Ron.
All the best,
Linda Pall



At 11:42 AM 7/14/98 -0700, you wrote:
>Visioneers may be interested in a new book:  "The Evaluative Image of
>the City" by Jack Nasar.  Sage Publications, 1998 (UI Library HT 166 N35
>1998).  Nasar is a professor of city and regional planning at Ohio
>State.
>
>His research dealt with Knoxville and Chattanooga.  He interviewed
>randomly chosen residents and visitors to each city about what they
>liked and disliked visually. He did map overlays of liked and disliked
>areas. He then enveloped five factors that determined the likeability of
>a city scene.  Both residents and visitors had similar preferences. 
>People disliked areas that had a lot of parking lots, billboards,
>industry, congestion, and a lack of coherent styles.  They liked areas
>with lots of plants and trees, views of rivers and mountains, well-kept
>buildings, and a sense of organization and order.
>
>He reviews studies that show that a city's appearance of disorder and
>neglect can heighten sensory overload, stress, and fear among residents
>and visitors.
>
>In an interview, he says, "American live with visual disorder all around
>us.  We may have learned to accept it, adapt to it, or turn a blind eye
>to it, but I believe we would find more enjoyment in more agreeable
>surroundings..."
>
>"Alone, each new building or sign may appear harmless or even desirable,
>but when they are all put together they appear ugly. A good example is
>the strip shopping centers that appear in every city..."
>
>"Leaders should use a consumer polling approach to see how the public
>responds to city features.  This consumer-oriented approach would make
>design controls more acceptable to everyone and result in more appealing
>cities."
>
>