PPA 604 week3 Assignment

Introduction

Urban planning plays a very integral role in sustainable development in cities. Good urban planning prepares cities for constructive changes and also, it helps to balance the city's demands, service investments and more importantly, infrastructure for growth in in order to ensure the country makes the most out of its municipal budgets. Urban planning in the U.S has a rich wealth of history. The U.S's traditional and modern city structures are characterized by three major elements namely: networks, buildings, and open spaces which have evolved over the years into what is now is referred to urban planning. Each of these elements has been shaped by history. This annotated bibliography shares a historical analysis of the U.S urban planning with an aim of showing urban planning changes that have occurred throughout history. This will form a strong foundation for further research into the topic.

Abbott, C. (2006) Urban history for planners. Journal of Planning History, 5(4), 301-13

Retrieved on April 19, 2012, from www.china-up.com:8080/international/case/case/1618.pdf

This is a very insightful article in which the authors have analyzed the conceptual and historiographical differences existing in the urban history and planning history in the U.S. The author argues that urban history is based on three major categories namely: individual and group relations, and the physical evolution of urban places. The article discusses how each of these categories provides ideas and information for today's urban planners. It is not only an interesting but also a very educative article that provides a deeper understanding of how history has shaped urban planning.

Ellis, C. (2011) History of Cities and City Planning, retrieved on April 19, 2012, from

http://www.art.net/~hopkins/Don/simcity/manual/history.html

Authored by a reputed urban planning expert, Cliff Ellis, this article has analyzed the complex history of cite and city planning. According to the author "Throughout history, cities have been founded at the intersections of transportation routes, or at points where goods must shift from one mode of transportation to another, as a river and ocean ports." The article leaves the reader with a better and deeper understanding of historical changes that have occurred in cities and city planning.

The article is centered on the argument that late 19th-century redevelopment programs contributed immensely to deindustrialization and a significant shifting of American's conception of cities from mere production places to places of consumption.

Wheeler, S. (2008) Evolution of built landscapes, Journal of Planning Education and

Research, 27, 400-416, retrieved on April 19, 2012, from http://www.lda.ucdavis.edu/.../JPER%20Article%20Final%20Published%20Version.pdf

In this article, the author analyzes how build landscapes in six of US's metropolitan areas have evolved between 1980 and 2005. The analysis employs aerial photographs we all s historic maps to illustrate the changes that have occurred in build landscapes. The article takes the audience through a series of changes that have occurred during the evolution of build landscapes.

Corbum, J. (2004) Confronting the Challenges in Reconnecting Urban Planning and

Public Health. American Journal of Public Health, 19(4), 541-546, Retrieved on April 19, 2012, from http://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/abs/10.2105/AJPH.94.4.541

The author states that both public and urban planning emerged to solve the problem of disease outbreaks. However the author says, both fields have a little overlap today. In his review of the historical relationships and lack thereof between these two fields, the author points out some of the challenges faced by planners who aim to recouple the two fields. The article is informative as in providing the audience with insights from ecosocial theory through which public health and urban planning can be reconnected in the advancement of social justice order.

Chudacoff, H., & Judith, S. (2000) The evolution of American Urban Society. Upper

Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall

This is among the best books written in recent times that have provided in-depth analysis of the way various groups of urban residents with diverse social, economic and political power adapt to the urban environment. In both interesting and absorbing manner, the authors take readers through a survey of the dynamics of American urbanization between the 16th century and the present.

Peterson, J. A. (2003). The birth of city planning in the United States, 1840–1917. JHU Press.

In this quite engaging book, the author narrates the history of the origins of US's city planning between 1840 and 1917. It is a well-written book that leaves the reader with a deeper understanding of how the US's city planning came to birth. The author supplements his text with outstanding photographs and historical plans.

Lopez, R. (2012). Building American public health: urban planning, architecture, and the quest for better health in the United States. Springer.

Any reader who goes through this book keenly comes out with a good understanding of the reforms that, throughout history, have been used urban planning and architecture to support and improve healthcare in the U.S. For instance the author looks into what suburb plans and modernism a swell as urban renewals have contributed towards improvement of urban planning and more importantly, healthcare.

Abbott, C. (2006). Urban history for planners. Journal of Planning History, 5(4), 301-313.

In this journal article, the author provides an analysis of the conceptual and histographic difference that exists between the various urban planning fields. The article is centered on the argument that works in urban history can be categorized into three major groups that deal with relationships between individual and groups of people, physical evolution of US's urban areas and civic life. The article is also backed by credible data and other researchers by other reputed scholars.

Burian, S. J., & Edwards, F. G. (2002). Historical perspectives of urban drainage. In Global Solutions for Urban Drainage (pp. 1-16).

There are various perspectives from which urban draining systems can be viewed. The authors of this article present the various draining techniques that have been developed in the human history dating from as early as 3000 BC to present. One of the key strengths of this article is the chronological order in which the authors have presented these techniques. As such, it is an article that is worth reading for anyone who wishes to understand the history of draining techniques that have been used by various civilizations such as the Roman Empire and other ancient civilizations. In addition, the authors have illustrated how these offered an in-depth discussion of how all these events have contributed to the development of U.S's modern drainage systems.

Warner, S. B., & Whittemore, A. (2012). American urban form: a representative history. MIT Press.

This book has addressed the evolution of spaces, places, and boundaries since the colonial era. This evolution of urban building's, transport infrastructure, and streets, have led to changing patterns of the modern patterns of political, economic, and social processes in American urban areas. The authors have coupled their analysis with Whitemore's detailed meticulous drawing hence making the book not only informative but also interesting. The information shared in this book can be very useful in shaping the future of America's urban centers.

Conclusion

This annotated bibliography has discussed the historical changes and evolution of the U.S urban. A good understanding of the evolution of urban planning and changes that have occurred in the U.S cities throughout history is very important in shaping the future of America's urban centers.