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Teardown : Memoir of a Vanishing City by Gordon Young (2013, Hardcover)

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Product Identifiers

PublisherUniversity of California Press

ISBN-100520270525

ISBN-139780520270527

eBay Product ID (ePID)150637736

Product Key Features

Book TitleTeardown : Memoir of a Vanishing City

Number of Pages288 Pages

LanguageEnglish

Publication Year2013

TopicIndustries / General, Sociology / General, Public Policy / City Planning & Urban Development, Economic Conditions, Sociology / Urban

IllustratorYes

GenrePolitical Science, Social Science, Business & Economics

AuthorGordon Young

FormatHardcover

Dimensions

Item Height1 in

Item Weight19.2 Oz

Item Length9 in

Item Width6 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceTrade

LCCN2012-039951

Dewey Edition23

ReviewsA journalist living in San Francisco decides to move back to decrepit Flint, Mich., where he was born and raised. . . . It matters because: As cities like Flint go, so goes much of the nation. Perfect for: The amateur urbanist who wants to go to Flint without actually having to leave the backyard., The style of Teardown is Rolling-Stone-style journalism, relatively informal, strongly first person, loosely organized. But there is modern history, too, and wide-ranging inquiry into economics and (especially) politics. The strongest narrative interest, though, springs from Gordon's contacts with Flintites old and new, people doing what he is contemplating., "While scholars and urban planners throughout the US and Europe debate strategies for revitalising former industrial cities that are "shrinking", "forgotten" or "failing", Young reminds us that storytelling, including the kind of inconclusive ending we might find in a contemporary novel, sometimes reveals more than the most careful study can. Better yet, a good story shows us why we should care, even if it doesn't provide any solutions.", While scholars and urban planners throughout the US and Europe debate strategies for revitalising former industrial cities that are _shrinking_, _forgotten_ or _failing_, Young reminds us that storytelling, including the kind of inconclusive ending we might find in a contemporary novel, sometimes reveals more than the most careful study can. Better yet, a good story shows us why we should care, even if it doesn_t provide any solutions.

Dewey Decimal307.34160977437

Table Of ContentPrologue: Summer 2009 Part One 1 Pink Houses and Panhandlers 2 Bottom-Feeders 3 Bourgeois Homeowners 4 Virtual Vehicle City 5 Bad Reputation 6 The Road to Prosperity 7 Bar Logic 8 Downward Mobility 9 Black and White 10 The Forest Primeval 11 The Naked Truth 12 The Toughest Job in Politics 13 Urban Homesteaders Part Two 14 Quitters Never Win 15 Burning Down the House 16 Emotional Rescue 17 Get Real 18 Living Large 19 Fading Murals 20 Gun Club 21 Bargaining with God 22 Psycho Killer Part Three 23 Winter Wonderland 24 Home on the Range 25 California Dreamin' 26 Thankless Task 27 Joy to the World Epilogue: Summer 2012 Updates Acknowledgments Notes Sources and Further Reading Index

SynopsisAfter living in San Francisco for 15 years, journalist Gordon Young found himself yearning for his Rust Belt hometown: Flint, Michigan, the birthplace of General Motors and "star" of the Michael Moore documentary Roger & Me. Hoping to rediscover and help a place that once boasted one of the world's highest per capita income levels, but is now one of the country's most impoverished and dangerous cities, he returned to Flint with the intention of buying a house. What he found was a place of stark contrasts and dramatic stories, where an exotic dancer can afford a lavish mansion, speculators scoop up cheap houses by the dozen on eBay, and arson is often the quickest route to neighborhood beautification. Skillfully blending personal memoir, historical inquiry, and interviews with Flint residents, Young constructs a vibrant tale of a once-thriving city still fighting--despite overwhelming odds--to rise from the ashes. He befriends a rag-tag collection of urban homesteaders and die-hard locals who refuse to give up as they try to transform Flint into a smaller, greener town that offers lessons for cities all over the world. Hard-hitting, insightful, and often painfully funny, Teardown reminds us that cities are ultimately defined by people, not politics or economics., After living in San Francisco for fifteen years, journalist Gordon Young found himself yearning for his Rust Belt hometown: Flint, Michigan, the birthplace of General Motors and the "star" of the Michael Moore documentary Roger & Me. Hoping to rediscover and help a place that had once boasted one of the world's highest per capita income levels but had become one of the country's most impoverished and dangerous cities, he returned to Flint with the intention of buying a house. What he found was a place of stark contrasts and dramatic stories, where an exotic dancer could afford a lavish mansion, speculators scooped up cheap houses by the dozen on eBay, and arson was often the quickest route to neighborhood beautification. Skillfully blending personal memoir, historical inquiry, and interviews with Flint residents, Young constructs a vibrant tale of a once-thriving city still fighting--despite overwhelming odds--to rise from the ashes. He befriends a ragtag collection of urban homesteaders and die-hard locals who refuse to give up as they try to transform Flint into a smaller, greener town that offers lessons for cities all over the world. Hard-hitting, insightful, and often painfully funny, Teardown reminds us that cities are ultimately defined by people, not politics or economics.

LC Classification NumberHN80.F54Y68 2013