Neal Pierce reviews Arizona-based builder, Vernon Swaback's new book: "The Creative Community: Designing for Life."
"Our problem, [Vernon Swaback] wrote in The Arizona Republic, is that we can't discern the difference between decentralization and sprawl. Decentralization is the unrelenting trend of civilized life, from trade routes to railroads and freeways and new settlements across the face of continents. Sprawl, by contrast, is the unhappy product of sameness, the uniformity of monotonously repeated design types, look-alike malls, big-box retail, subdivisions and office parks, each on a separate 'pod.' Why that formula? Because it's cheaper to design, finance, build and then sell standardized 'product.' (Note: 'product,' not 'community.')"
Thanks to Chris Steins
FULL STORY: A Community And Global Vision From An Arizona Architect

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