With a Jane Jacobs-like eye for closely observing the workings of a neighborhood, Langdon explores why our experience of community life is so much richer in places that are laid out at a pedestrian scale. Through the stories of six communities, he shows the particular power that walkable neighborhoods have to inspire people to act for the common good. Along ... Read morethe way, Langdon examines how these neighborhoods came into being and the exciting things their residents are doing to improve them.
Stacy Mitchell, Codirector of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and author of Big-Box Swindle Philip Langdon has pulled together his thirty years of experience and wisdom in a compelling book about the incremental, organic approach to walkable urban vitality. At many levels of intensity, from Center City Philadelphia to small Stakville, Mississippi, Langdon has provided case studies of how walkable vitality has been successfully created and, just as importantly, sometimes has fallen backward. In addition, noted New Urban architect Dhiru Thadani has contributed charming drawings knitting the book into an integrated whole.
Christopher B. Leinberger, Charles Bendit Distinguished Scholar and Research Professor of Urban Real Estate Talks convincingly about changes our cities and neighborhoods are going through...The stories are important, because they help us see that nothing is predetermined.
Common Edge Provocative...Langdon helps to unravel the mystery [of walkability].
Governing Intriguing...[Langdon] is a clear and insightful writer, has been exploring these topics for decades, and knows of what he speaks.
Connecticut Mirror Makes the impassioned and convincing case that a place's walkability can serve as a catalyst for community.
Connecticut Magazine Langdon examines the ingredients that create a safe, healthy, and vibrant community. While income levels may vary, community engagement, access to schools, transportation, healthcare, and retail strips are necessary factors for thriving neighborhoods. This work is a significant contribution to the literature on the diverse urban American tapestry. Langdon accurately conveys the struggles of neighborhoods seeking to remain a mainstay of this urbanism.
Jes s Chuy Garc a, Cook County Commissioner Within Walking Distance shines...a warm, personal, and heartening depiction of our power to shape our communities in a positive way when we set our minds to it.
Civil Engineering Hard to put down...the book is so rich in detail that I learned something useful or remarkable on nearly every page. Langdon is one of the most experienced and knowledgeable writers on urbanism today...The new urban era is upon us and Within Walking Distance may be the best guidebook to explore how people and places are making this period a reality.
Public Square In Within Walking Distance, Phil Langdon has given voice to the everyday people working to build vibrant, walkable places in their own communities. With rich storytelling backed by extensive research, he spotlights the incremental victories that are essential to creating places people love. Within Walking Distance is a human-scale book about human-scale solutions
for downtowns, neighborhoods, suburbs, and everywhere in between.
Lynn Richards, President and CEO, the Congress for the New Urbanism Show Less