The Song Of My Dance And The Dance Of My Dreams Book

As a former resident of Southern California who has often wondered how did the L.A. area get to be so congested, so disorganized, and so bogged down with freeways, Jeremiah B.C. Axelrod's fascinating new book, Inventing Autopia: Dreams and Visions of the Modern Metropolis in Jazz Age Los Angeles provides some answers.

Contrary to popular belief, the sprawl that characterizes the L.A. area did not just spring up in a haphazard fashion. Instead, as Axelrod argues, this pattern of development resulted from the process of conflict over competing visions of the possible. Going back to the early 20's, planners in L.A. were divided between two models. One group sought a concentric model of L.A. with a downtown business zone and outlying areas devoted to small business and residential properties (think of a target with the bull's eye as the downtown region and the series of circles spreading out). The other model followed ..... ideas of establishing "garden cities" or self-contained villages that could serve the needs of residents for employment, shopping and recreation. What resulted from this class ideologies emerged in a postsuburban development.

Axelrod's book is highly readable, engaging and thought-provoking. Recommended for those who struggle each day with every growing commutes, congested communities and development. If you've ever wondered how did it get this way? This is the book for you.