Reviews for Inventing Autopia: Dreams and Visions of the Modern Metropolis in Jazz Age Los Angeles

The average rating for Inventing Autopia: Dreams and Visions of the Modern Metropolis in Jazz Age Los Angeles based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2011-03-04 00:00:00 Robert Cyr This is the most detailed study I have read regarding urban planning and design. It is an exceptionally well-researched study into the unique formation of Los Angeles. Some of the best chapters described popular urban utopias, as envisioned ca. 1900-1920. These included enormous skyscraper-lined roads criss-crossed by smaller roads going through the buildings. This model influenced many cities, and Axelrod specifically refers to New York and Chicago. The planners in Los Angeles preferred to focus on their city's strongest attribute which was the sleepy, warm atmosphere of a cottage or bungalow near the ocean, allowing residents to enjoy the weather all around. To support this vision, they focused on a lesser well-known model known as garden cities. The idea was that each small community would be self-sufficient by focusing on local businesses rather than a major urban metropolis. A splendid system of boulevards would connect the garden cities and maintain the quaint appearance of the ideal city. The reality was that real estate speculators, aided by politicians, profited from loopholes with regards to development along the boulevards. The result was that commerce focused along the boulevards instead of the garden cities. This system is richly described in the sections focusing on Wilshire Boulevard. The writing is academic and often times difficult to follow. Axelrod wisely broke up each chapter into manageable sections for easier reading, browsing, and digestion. The story could have been told adequately in half of the space, so much of the book appears to be filler. The Introduction and conclusion are difficult in that they are more theoretical in nature whereas the text is grounded in fact/ history. Ultimately, the reader is better served by not reading those sections. Overall, the book is easier to read than similar tomes on urban planning and design. By focusing on roadways instead of all types of infrastructure, Axelrod makes the study more readable, while telling a good story at the same time.

Review # 2 was written on 2009-07-28 00:00:00 Daniel Crew 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.