Review by Choice Review
Knox (Virginia Tech Univ.), a leading urban geographer, has taken a step back from skilled empirical studies to take a broader look at the metropolitan scene. He examines how societal trends like greater wealth disparity and accelerating materialism have transformed the urban landscape. This analysis is like Thorstein Veblen's conspicuous consumption meeting the modern metropolis. For Knox, "landscapes are mirrors of society." For the most part, he does not like the reflections, using phrases like "shlock-and-awe urbanism," "nothing succeeds like excess," and "the American Dream Extreme" to characterize recent real estate developments. The "metroburbia" Knox sees is driven by an upper middle class that favors ostentatious surroundings and supersized structures. Although occasionally marred by social science jargon (e.g., "sociospatial dialectic"), this scathing and thought-provoking critique of the latest additions to the built environment in the US is superbly done. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels. E. T. Jones University of Missouri--St. Louis
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
