WHAT OTHERS SAY... |
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Globalization, Modernity and The City (2012)
This is a wonderful book with illustrative
examples of how globalization, modernity and
urbanity weave together. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Korea: A Cartographic History (2012)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Cities and Suburbs (2010) This compact and well-written book is an ideal
text for the many disciplines that study the
confounding complexity of the U.S. metropolis.
It focuses abstract discussion by presenting
specific case studies and provides concise
summaries, numerous citations of major work and
an excellent bibliography. The perceptive and
lively style makes it instructive, enjoyable
reading. A
great resource for policy analysts and makers
as well as metropolitan scholars in many
disciplines including geography, economics,
politics, sociology, urban studies, and urban
planning. They examine different dimensions of diversity,
including racial segregation, polarization of US
society along class lines, and the advent of a
new wave of immigration. All of these
perspectives show an increasingly atomized,
polarized, and residentially segregated US in
which the "sorting-out" of different groups from
one another has transcended the traditional
central city-suburb distinction, and today
permeates every aspect of life from workplace to
home. Recommended... ...
provides a comprehensive and in-depth analysis
of the current state of metropolitan America and
especially suburban decline… provides a
systematic and historic overview of the changing
role of American cities and suburbs throughout
the past century and more. They present an
excellent account of the changing roles, growth,
decline, and regeneration processes in the
ever-changing and diverse political,
demographic, socio-economic, and physical
environments of metropolitan America… a
comprehensive approach that does justice to the
vast, interconnected, and complex processes of
metropolitan growth and decline. It is well
suited for scholars of urban and regional
planning, geography, economics, politics,
sociology, and urban studies, and will
significantly enhance their understanding of the
complex issues facing metropolitan America.
Students will benefit from a deeper
understanding of the suburbanization of America.
I appreciated the presence of an ample number of
case studies and brief summaries at the end of
each chapter… important addition to existing
scholarship. Up-to-date insights into the state of American
suburbs in metropolitan contexts, based on
current literature and most recent research
findings. The format of the book is highly
accessible. Each chapter is accompanied by a
list of references for further reading and an
illustrative case study… highly recommended. An enlightening and thorough new study A comprehensive description and evaluation of
the evolving U.S. metropolis that challenges
traditional understandings of American
metropolitan structure. In this well-composed
publication, the authors convincingly argue that
conventional models of urban America are now
defunct and present compelling evidence to
support this hypothesis. The book is ideally suited not only for use in undergraduate and
graduate courses but also as a
state-of-the-metropolis piece for academics and
policy makers alike… The book is appealing in
many regards. The authors should be praised for
composing a work that is relatively accessible
across disciplinary boundaries, as it is
relatively free of excess jargon…The work is
also a timely challenge to many scholars’
preconceived notions of the rich-suburb,
poor-city metropolitan structure. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Cartographic Encounters (2009) Short's book drives home fundamental facts, overlooked by historians of the European Contact period…a fascinating and
surprising new interpretation…reconstructs the shifting relationships between European explorers and indigenous peoples in North America and Australia. The writing is admirably clear, concise, sensitive and balanced. At once entertaining and
educational, Short's book is essential for historians of New World contacts and cartography. The reader comes away with a
new appreciation of the hidden artefacts of the cultural collision teasing out threads of the 'symbiotic destruction' deeply
woven into the history of post-Columbian maps. John Rennie Short has trawled through many dusty travel journals and pored over his share of early maps in order to
reconstruct this fascinating cultural collision. His book ranges widely. . . The accounts of the expeditions…are among the
highlights of this consistently entertaining and even-handed book. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Sage Companion To The City (2008) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Liquid City (2007) a provocative new book…Short presents facts and deals fairly with controversial and unsettled issues. Short's strengths lie in his ability to use data from the U.S. Census to help create a clearer picture of not only how the
megalopolis is shaped, but what sustains its growth. This book is a comprehensive and easy read that is complemented by the
fact that Short presents a clearer understanding of how the megalopolis is one of the world's most important regions and is
perhaps a new model to provide insight to current conurbations experiencing these changes. Short describes the the tension between the fixed capital investments and the forces of change…an engaging and provocative style that will attract readers from outside the realms of geography and regional science. a good overview of fin de siecle urbanization in the Northeast United States. Short's artful use of anecdotal information about
specific places and broad range of topics covered at a general level would make Liquid City an excellent text for
undergraduates. This book will interest anyone who wants a good, concise reference to demographic trends within the region John Rennie Short has decided that it is time to revisit the Atlantic seaboard Megalopolis and examine how it fares in the early twenty-first century. In a compact volume he summarizes the present state of Megalopolis, identifying its changing
characteristics and persistent problems… a concise overview… thoughtful, readable survey that merits the attention of students of urban America. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Alabaster Cities (2006) an in-depth, scholarly study of urban America since 1950… Though serious-minded, drawing heavily on research, and careful not to mistake correlation for causation… Alabaster Cities is thoroughly accessible to lay readers as well as scholarly readers. Offers an accessible overview to the major themes of US urbanization. In Alabaster Cities, Short has sung the story of
American cities, both their gleaming achievements and their tears of failure. The title's 'alabaster cities' refers to a line from the verse of "America The Beautiful," and the song's optimism is threaded
throughout Short's elegant narrative. The author is at once deeply appreciative of the US and deeply critical of its failures to
realize its potential…His analysis of emerging trends like privatization, globalization polarization and place wars
underscores the need to find alternative representations- discursive, imaginary and material- of that crowning public
achievement, the city as a "fair, just and decent place to live for all its citizens." Recommended. Short's account effectively illuminates the path of American metropolitan development since 1950. It is a thoughtful volume
by a geographer with a good grasp of the American city and its perceived problems. It may not offer unchallengeable
answers, but it raises significant questions and deserves the attention of students of the contemporary American city. An insightful geographer…Short covers a great deal of intellectual territory, ranging across a number of disciplines and
deftly moving from classical literature to contemporary social science, stringing the work of diverse scholars together rather
cleverly. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Global Metropolitan (2004) Cities around the world are experiencing profound economic and social change as they seek to compete in a globalizing world. Global Metropolitan seeks to explain such changes. It explores how the discourse of globalizing has become a major narrative in the restructuring of cities around the world. It illustrates how a similar range of globalizing practices including the hosting of mega-events, the siting of
urban spectaculars, the rewriting of the city, and its representation to a world of global flows. Moving beyond the debate surrounding the
measurement of world cities, John Rennie Short suggests a new paradigm for urban studies; globalizing cities where the emphasis is on
how cities are embarked on a global project to maintain economic competitiveness and cultural relevance. The book sets a new agenda for both globalization and urban studies. The book successfully covers the existing literature on world cities research, makes the argument for extending current debates by considering the globalization-urbanization connection through the lens of globalizing cities conceptualization, and illustrates this approach using case studies. It is a comprehensive and accessible text that is a welcome contribution to the world cities literature. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Making Space (2004) The World Through Maps: A History of Cartography (2003) Brilliant guide to using maps…a superb resource to help us understand the maps we use. Expertly written in a stimulating style, full of illuminating asides… useful introduction to a large and important subject. Look past the sumptuous illustrations and you'll find that Short, a distinguished American geography professor, has delivered
the goods and then some. With crystal-clear prose and not a jot of pretentiousness, he covers more about maps and what they
tell us about the societies that created them (charts by indigenous peoples, maps as propaganda tools, cartography in the space age) than some volumes twice its size. a handsomely illustrated introduction to the history of maps... elegantly reproduced maps that richly supplement the
authoritative text... Highly recommended for all public libraries. The book's chronological structure is simple yet elegant, drawing readers along as cartography develops in different lands and different cultures…with examples plucked from countless periods. A seductive investment…Almost every page here is voyage of discovery, and of wonder Provides a succinct and superb introduction….This is the type of book, which will whet readers' appetites and should inspire
them to explore further … highly recommended without reservations for all academic and public library reference collections
John Rennie Short makes it clear that, aside from being sources of geographical information, maps have also been tools of
propaganda, economics, politics and even religion…The book traces the history of maps -- from 40,000-year-old drawings on
cave walls to computer and satellite projections -- and looks at the maps to divine their context, meanings and messages… Short's text is accompanied by hundreds of colour photographs and illustrations of maps, some of which are truly
works of art. The book ends with two intriguing chapters that discuss maps as propaganda tools, tools of surveillance, fake and forgeries, and cartographic controversies. We therefore are deeply indebted to John Rennie Short, his publishers, and his producers for presenting an anthology of maps that is accurate, apposite, and very playthings World through Maps has much to commend it. It is a book to be pored over. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Globalization and The Margins (2002) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Representing The Republic (2001) This is a fascinating book about the mapping of the land that came to be called the United States of America… Short adopts
the maps as an instrument and vehicle to unfold a history of the cartographic enterprise in the US, and in so doing contributes
to an understanding of the history of this nation All those trained to use maps before c. 1990- should read pages 9-12. For many, the ideas will be shocking but, once
absorbed, they are liberating. Read them to resolve contradictions in hidden assumptions about maps…The ideas should help to protect all from the cartographic deceits perpetuated by the media…a scholarly worked but readable exemplar of the key idea that by deconstructing them, maps can reveal much about changing perceptions of the world. Not intended exclusively for specialists The implications of Short's book go beyond the work, to the configuration of ideology itself at the heart of Empire. This is the first book-length effort to tell the story of the mapping of the United States through the lens of the post-modern perspectival first to focus on this topic with some successive found his extended vignettes of selected maps and cartographers helpful and interesting, often providing me with fresh perspectives of familiar maps and morphophonemic is an important work that students of the history of American cartography will want to own. The book presents examples of geographic representations connected to imperial claims, state formation and developing
national identity. It is a companion to the broader arguments developed in his earlier Imagined Country and illustrates the
new orthodoxy of histories of cartography. ..Short advocates a fashionable deconstruction of mapping, but his analysis is
refreshingly unpretentious and relies upon telling a story, by focusing upon emblematic maps and key individualizes
attractive and engaging stimulator has the confidence to come up with grand generalizations fresh perspective means deconstructing well researched material, telling an appealing story. uses a subtle mixture of political, geographic and social evolution supported by cartographic developments between the early 17th and 20th centuries. Those interested in understanding the history of the United States land settlement, measurement and
public distribution will find this book both useful and entertaining. I am reminded of an axiom stating, "nothing can be properly managed unless it can be measured." This book does a fine job of explaining how this was done with America's land. The book offers a fresh perspective on North American history and geography…provides an intriguing account of the
mapping of America from its colonial origins to 1900…Having undertaken extensive research in map collections, including
working with rare archival materials, prominent geographer John Rennie Short provides an account of how maps have both
embodied and reflected power, conflict and territorial expansion throughout American history. His richly illustrated text
focuses on maps of colonial claims, surveys of the American West and national atlases, ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Environmental Discourse and Practice-A Reader (2000) This book makes an important contribution to a trend in human geography to consider human-environment relationships, specifically
environmentalism, more carefully than the conceptual divided between physical and human geographies commonly facilitates... the book does indeed offer a thought-provoking body of texts that will be useful to students of human environment relations in many social science disciplines... a thought-provoking and useful contribution to explorations of the
human ideas about and behavior toward a fragile and ever-changing environment. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Alternative Geographies (2000) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Globalization and The City (1999) It is well illustrated with good examples and engaging case studies, particularly those dealing with the representation and
commodification of cities in a global marketplace. There is a particularly interesting, if brief, section on the role of the
Olympics as a nexus for economic, cultural and political forces which illustrate neatly the interrelationships of civic
renewal/pride and economic success. The Australian chapter, as with the Korean chapter, is a thickly descriptive presentation
of some fascinating materialness examples, the way Seoul has digested and reproduced a globalised form of American
cultural, the way US civic discourses embrace a particular form of entrepreneurialism or the way Sydney's appearance has
been affected by the drift of Anglo-American to a Asian-American perspective represents the strength of the book. The text at best provides further detailed examples for those with an understanding of the theories, and offers well written narrative
accounts of particular examples of the progression of globalisation in a range of contexts. The book deploys refreshingly unfamiliar material - stock market registrations, the tastes of Korean cinema goers - to challenge the loose thinking that has accumulated around the notion of globalization. Teachers and undergraduates will find it
both topical and stimulating. An extremely useful introductory piece which encompasses a wide range of detailed examples to illustrate the many geographies of globalization and world cities ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ New Worlds, New Geographies (1998) Magpie book! Frustrating, lucid, chaotic, funny, personal, disconcerting, aggravating, and, perhaps above all else
memorable content and style of presentation mimic a shift from thinking in and about rational, modern worlds to an
engagement with self, roots and debts to others and on to grapple with a shaken faith in modernism and emancipation…he
incorporates personal experience and adopts an unusual textual strategy, devices that do yield an engagingly written and
potentially influential book. recommended reading for those needing help to cope with the political changes and challenges of a post-modern world and a
new millennium a self-described 'reluctant post-modernist, doesn't write the impenetrable, jargon-laded prose often embraced by post-modern
authors ... This volume combines autobiography initially with political geography, then the sociology of academia, and
finally an alphabetic introduction to post-modern ... the most fun is to be had in the final section, where Short plays the role of
post-modernist on postmodernism Very good. Its importance lies in revealing the Zeitgeist in recent Western geographies is a well-written bookie author presents his
views in a clear and readable way, not a fact to be overlooked considering the opaque and blurred model of writing common
among many post-modern scholars. There is one thing all readers will agree upon; this is a very unusual book-matching in an accessible writing style while
broaching some very basic issues for contemporary academia. This is a human story of dissolving certain ties and continuing
fallibilities ...presents a wonderful illustration of the fragility of human knowledge. It is a personal narrative rather than an academic treatment of the new world order, global capitalism and personal identity in
the 1990s. I found many of his statements perceptive and at times even funny. New Worlds, New Geographies might be
useful for those who want to explore how particular geographers have sought to link their personal lives to their academic
research. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Urban Order (1996) an enjoyable and provocative read An ambitious overview ... The strength of this text are its breadth of coverage, the author's continuing and lively engagement with his subject and his genuine attempt to cross paradigms ... the writing is clear and straightforward, well worth reading ... I shall certainly put it on my reading list The work is finely balanced in the consideration of theoretical and empirical considerations ... Short has drawn upon wide-ranging case studies and he provides a clearly set of evaluations of major developments in contemporary urban studies ... An exceptionally well-crafted text. a highly personal, at times iconoclastic readings of the contemporary city ... I found this approach both refreshing and honest
... I suspect many others will appreciate his ambitious attempt to integrate current concerns with the perennial themes of urban studies ... a valuable addition to the relative scarce array of texts which deal directly with questions of post-modern
urbanism. John Short's knowledge of the urban terrain, his ability to write clearly, to illustrate the book wonderfully, and generally to
make the text accessible. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ An Introduction to Political Geography (1993) The efforts of a renewed approach, and the modernity of Short's book constitute an appreciable contribution in political
geography. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Imagined Country (1991) a bold and adventurous attempt by a thoughtful and widely read author. this is fascinating stuff: clearly written, beautifully produced in paperback (with copious illustration); designed to be dipped
into according to interests and a sheer substantive range which means that there are indeed a vast array of vignettes for the
reader to become interested in. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Humane City (1989) this book combines virtues of a good heart with those of a clear and well informed mind. It is well worth reading for its scope
and interest of content, and its clarity, honesty and economy of style. There are wise words here about passenger transport, sensible housing and close citizen involvement in schools and health
provision .... a harbinger of new visions for the 1990s and beyond. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ An Introduction to Urban Geography (1984) |
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John Rennie Short |
