There is at least a chapter on each of New Jersey, Boston, Detroit, Atlanta, Phoenix, Texas, LA, San Francisco, and Washington, DC. There are only 2 photos and 10 maps; more illustrations would have helped. Over 70 pages cover the conflict between preservationists and a developer named Til Hazel regarding the Manassas (Va.) battlefield. The developer is portrayed, not as an unethical monster, but as a salt-of-the-earth entrepreneur who is genuinely mystified why people would be against progress, and mystified why people romanticize past eras in which the standard of living was so dismal
The greatest flaw is the author's wordiness. Time and time again, he bludgeons the reader with repetition and paraphrases, to make sure no one misses his point. It's as though his motto is never to use one sentence when five will do. There is not enough brevity, and he tends to repeat himself (like I am doing right now - isn't it irritating?).
Edge City looks at how suburbs are no longer just residential areas whose populations commute to the city to work and play, but have emerged as centers of employment and commerce in their own right. This will be familiar to anyone who has commuted down to a job in the quintessentially "Edge City" Silicon Valley. Each chapter looks at a different edge city and uses it to examine some of the issues that have cropped up in what Garreau argues is a new way of life. Although the subject urban planning could be a pretty slow read, Garreua's training as a journalist shows and his prose make an easy and enjoyable read.
As a former city planner, I found Garreau's discussion of the new "downtowns" that are forming up on the suburban fringe and along certain freeways to provide a refreshingly candid look. He is essentially optimistic about a phenomena that is almost universally condemed by the professional planning and architecture community.
The book's final two chapters are worth the price alone. In "The Words" chapter the author defines in lighthearted terms some of the slang that is associated with edge city development: "Ooh-ah: An unusual Amenity inserted in a development specifically to elicit an animated reaction from a client. Commmercial Ooh-ahs include built in hair dryers in the mens room" In the chapter titled "the Laws" and includes such tidbits as: "The number of blocks an American will walk in most downtowns: Three, maybe four."
Overall a very readable and important book. In fact I use it as a text for a college class titled "The Built Environment" By reveiwing and discussing the "terms", "laws" and the players in nine "edge cities" around the country, the author does an amazing job clarifying what drives this sort of development and where it leading the future of American cities into the 21rst century. Jareau is basically optimistic, despite the boring warnings planners who warn of the impending collapse of civilization unless we abide by their dictates.