Crossing Great Divides: City and Country in Environmental and Political Disorder

Crossing Great Divides argues that the habit of construing city and country as opposites is at the root of our current environmental and political disorder, and that conventional urban environmental reform has made modern city life possible but has done little to limit the despoliation of distant places. John Fairfield concludes with a case study of Phoenix, Arizona to demonstrate this dysfunctional relationship and develop a sympathetic critique of the Green New Deal.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 316 pages
Publication date: 28 June 2024
Publisher: Temple University Press,U.S.

Crossing Great Divides: A History of American Environmentalism argues that the habit of construing city and country as opposites is at the root of our current environmental and political disorder. This oversimplifying dualism has distorted how we planned cities, our patterns of production and consumption, how we deal with waste, and how urban and rural populations perceive each other. Conventional urban environmental reform has made modern city life possible, but it has done little to limit the despoliation of distant places. Nevertheless, the successes of urban environmental reform remind us of what is possible. John Fairfield concludes with a case study of Phoenix, Arizona to demonstrate this dysfunctional relationship between city and country while developing a sympathetic critique of the Green New Deal. He suggests how we might bridge the "great divide" as we face the daunting challenges the twenty-first century is pressing upon us.
Crossing Great Divides: A History of American Environmentalism offers a comprehensive exploration of the relationship between city and country in American history, highlighting how the habit of viewing them as opposites has contributed to our current environmental and political disorder. This oversimplifying dualism has distorted various aspects of our society, including urban planning, production and consumption patterns, waste management, and the perception of urban and rural populations. While conventional urban environmental reform has made modern city life possible, it has failed to address the despoliation of distant places. However, the successes of urban environmental reform serve as a reminder of what is possible. John Fairfield's book concludes with a case study of Phoenix, Arizona, to illustrate the dysfunctional relationship between city and country and to develop a sympathetic critique of the Green New Deal. He suggests ways to bridge the "great divide" as we face the challenges of the twenty-first century.

Weight: 540g
Dimension: 229 x 152 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781439925720