PSYCHOGEOGRAPHY
In Psychogeography, you study the impact of a particular geographic area on the activities, behavior and attitudes of the people living there. This could be a town or city or a smaller neighborhood within that town or city. In this course, you are exploring the impact of Los Angeles County cities, towns and neighborhoods on their inhabitants.
For your research assignment on this topic, you will use both primary sources (firsthand accounts from people living in a specific neighborhood) and secondary sources (assessment, history and/or description of a neighborhood based on evaluations and analysis of primary sources and fieldwork by the author of the secondary source) as well as fieldwork in your neighborhood. Recommendations and suggestions for each of these source types are available in the tabs on the left.
SOURCES ON THE GENERAL TOPIC OF PSYCHOGEOGRAPHY
You can search in the collection by using any of the following search terms: Human geography, Geographical perception, Geography - Psychological aspects, Human beings-Effect of environment on, Urban Renewal. Some recent books on this topic are listed below.
If it is an electronic book, select the last link at the bottom of the page to get to the fulltext of the book. Once there, you can also search for specific terms within the book. Your login to access ebooks remotely will be the same as your login for your Canvas account.
The books in these categories are great entries into discovering a theme or concept that appeals to you that you may not have thought of before. This theme can be the anchor for your entire paper on your chosen neighborhood.
Megapolitan America: a New Vision for Understanding America's Metropolitan Geography by Call Number: 307.764 N424mISBN: 9781932364972Publication Date: 2013-01-31With an expected population of 400 million by 2040, America is morphing into an economic system composed of twenty-three 'megapolitan' areas that will dominate the nation's economy by midcentury. These 'megapolitan' areas are networks of metropolitan areas sharing common economic, landscape, social, and cultural characteristics. The rise of 'megapolitan' areas will change how America plans.
Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time by Call Number: 307.1216 S741wISBN: 9780374285814Publication Date: 2012-11-13Jeff Speck has dedicated his career to determining what makes cities thrive. And he has boiled it down to one key factor: walkability. The very idea of a modern metropolis evokes visions of bustling sidewalks, vital mass transit, and a vibrant, pedestrian-friendly urban core. But in the typical American city, the car is still king, and downtown is a place that's easy to drive to but often not worth arriving at. Making walkability happen is relatively easy and cheap; seeing exactly what needs to be done is the trick.
Sundown Towns: a Hidden Dimension of American Racism by Call Number: 363.55 L827sISBN: 9781565848870Publication Date: 2005-09-29A history of northern racial exclusion demonstrates the pervasiveness of racism throughout the entire United States, analyzing how sundown towns in northern states participated in racially oppressive practices and victimized black citizens with frequently violent attacks well into the late twentieth century.
EBOOK SOURCES ON THE GENERAL TOPIC OF PSYCHOGEOGRAPHY
You can search in the library's collection using any of the following search terms: Human geography, Geographical perception, Geography - Psychological aspects, Human beings-Effect of environment on, Urban Renewal. Some recent books on this topic are listed below.
If it is an eBook, select the last link at the bottom of the page to get to the fulltext of the book. Once there, you can also search for specific terms within the book. If you are off campus and you want to access an eBook, you will be asked for your student ID and your password (same as Canvas login).
Barrio Urbanism: Chicanos, Planning, and American Cities by Call Number: eBookISBN: 9780203020968Publication Date: 2005-08-08This, the first book on Latinos in America from an urban planning/policy perspective, covers the last century, and includes a substantial historical overview the subject. The authors trace the movement of Latinos (primarily Chicanos) into American cities from Mexico and then describe the problems facing them in those cities. They then show how the planning profession and developers consistently failed to meet their needs due to both poverty and racism. Attention is also paid to the most pressing concerns in Latino barrios during recent times, including environmental degradation and justice, land use policy, and others. The book closes with a consideration of the issues that will face Latinos as they become the nation's largest minority in the 21st century.
Bike Lanes Are White Lanes: Bicycle Advocacy and Urban Planning by Call Number: eBookISBN: 9780803288225Publication Date: 2016-07-01The number of bicyclists is increasing in the United States, especially among the working class and people of color. In contrast to the demographics of bicyclists in the United States, advocacy for bicycling has focused mainly on the interests of white upwardly mobile bicyclists, leading to neighborhood conflicts and accusations of racist planning.
Creating Vibrant Public Spaces: Streetscape Design in Commercial and Historic Districts by Call Number: eBookISBN: 9781597264822Publication Date: 2008-10-15Public space and street design in commercial districts can dictate the success or failure of walkable community centers. Instead of focusing our efforts on designing new "compact town centers," many of which are located in the suburbs, we should instead be revitalizing existing authentic town centers. This informative, practical book describes methods for restoring the health and vibrancy of the streets and public spaces of our existing commercial districts in ways that will make them positive alternatives to suburban sprawl while respecting their historic character.
Designing Modern America: Broadway to Main Street by Call Number: ebookISBN: 0300108044Publication Date: 2005-11-11From the 1920s through the 1950s, two individuals, Joseph Urban and Norman Bel Geddes, did more, by far, to create the image of "America" and make it synonymous with modernity than any of their contemporaries. Urban and Bel Geddes were leading Broadway stage designers and directors who turned their prodigious talents to other projects, becoming mavericks first in industrial design and then in commercial design, fashion, architecture, and more. The two men gave shape to the most quintessential symbols of the modern American lifestyle, including movies, cars, department stores, and nightclubs, along with private homes, kitchens, stoves, fridges, magazines, and numerous household furnishings.
Downtown America: a History of the Place and the People Who Made It by Call Number: eBookISBN: 9780226385099Publication Date: 2009-05-15Downtown America was once the vibrant urban center romanticized in the Petula Clark songOCoa place where the lights were brighter, where people went to spend their money and forget their worries. But in the second half of the twentieth century, downtown became a shadow of its former self, succumbing to economic competition and commercial decline. And the death of Main Streets across the country came to be seen as sadly inexorable, like the passing of an aged loved one.
Pedestrian Modern: Shopping and American Architecture, 1925-1956 by Call Number: eBookISBN: 9780816684212Publication Date: 2013-07-01Americans are voting with their feet to abandon strip malls and suburban sprawl, embracing instead a new type of community where they can live, work, shop, and play within easy walking distance. In "The Option of Urbanism" visionary developer and strategist Christopher B. Leinberger explains why government policies have tilted the playing field toward one form of development over the last sixty years: the drivable suburb. Rooted in the driving forces of the economy--car manufacturing and the oil industry--this type of growth has fostered the decline of community, contributed to urban decay, increased greenhouse gas emissions, and contributed to the rise in obesity and asthma.
People Habitat: 25 Ways to Think about Greener, Healthier Cities by Call Number: eBookISBN: 9780989751117Publication Date: 2013-12-10With over 80 percent of Americans now living in cities and suburbs, getting our communities right has never been more important, more complicated, or more fascinating. Longtime sustainability leader Kaid Benfield shares 25 enlightening and entertaining essays about the wondrous ecology of human settlement, and how to make it better for both people and the planet. People Habitat explores topics as diverse as "green" housing developments that are no such thing, the tricky matter of gentrifying inner cities, why people don't walk much anymore, and the relationship between cities and religion. Written with intellect, insight, and from-the-heart candor, each real-world story in People Habitat will make you see our communities in a new light.
Reference Shelf: the Transformation of American Cities by Call Number: eBookISBN: 9781619256941Publication Date: 2015-10-30Each book in the Reference Shelf series offers extensive, unbiased exploration of a topic of importance in modern society, in a compilation of notable articles from respected publications, abstracts of 20 to 30 additional articles, and a bibliography of other sources.
Urban Green: Innovative Parks for Resurgent Cities by Call Number: eBookISBN: 9781597268127Publication Date: 2012-07-16For years American urban parks fell into decay due to disinvestment, but as cities began to rebound--and evidence of the economic, cultural, and health benefits of parks grew-- investment in urban parks swelled. The U.S. Conference of Mayors recently cited meeting the growing demand for parks and open space as one of the biggest challenges for urban leaders today. It is now widely agreed that the U.S. needs an ambitious and creative plan to increase urban parklands. Urban Green explores new and innovative ways for "built out" cities to add much-needed parks.
Sundown Towns by Call Number: eBookISBN: 9781620974346Publication Date: 2018-07-17"Powerful and important . . . an instant classic." --The Washington Post Book World The award-winning look at an ugly aspect of American racism by the bestselling author of Lies My Teacher Told Me, reissued with a new preface by the author In this groundbreaking work, sociologist James W. Loewen, author of the classic bestseller Lies My Teacher Told Me, brings to light decades of hidden racial exclusion in America. In a provocative, sweeping analysis of American residential patterns, Loewen uncovers the thousands of "sundown towns"--almost exclusively white towns where it was an unspoken rule that blacks weren't welcome--that cropped up throughout the twentieth century, most of them located outside of the South.
