Preserving the World's Great Cities: The Destruction and Renewal of the Historic Metropolis

From Publishers Weekly HThe idea of preserving the material past is not a new one the Emperor Majorian (the Jane Jacobs of 458 C.E. This is an important contribution not only to the literature of urban studies and city planning, but to architectural history and sociology. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.. Rather then relying on one cultural model, Tung makes his argument by illuminating specific cases in context how Amsterdam's "medieval communal water boards" set the groundwork for modern preservation; how religious warfare devastated and continues to hinder the conservation of Jerusalem; and in China and Japan, how preservation efforts focus on retaining "the original aesthetic" rather than the original building. But the common theme is the importance of cultural conservation. He presents difficult problems

Everywhere he found both the devastating legacy of war, economics, and indifference and the accomplishments of people who have worked and sometimes risked their lives to preserve and renew the most meaningful urban expressions of the human spirit.From Singapore’s blind rush to become the most modern city of the East to Warsaw’s poignant and heroic effort to resurrect itself from the Nazis’ systematic campaign of physical and cultural obliteration, from New York and Rome to Kyoto and Cairo, we see the city as an expression of the best and worst within us. Both epic and intimate, this is the story of the fight to save the world’s architectural and cultural heritage as it is embodied in the extraordinary buildings and urban spaces of the great cities of Asia, the Americas, and Europe. From the

Five Stars very good. Truly excellent book on the great cities of the world Tim F. Martin In March of 1995 author Anthony M. Tung journeyed to 22 of the world's greatest cities in order to study how architectural preservation had failed and succeeded in some of the most artistically and historically significant urban areas around the globe. Having served for many years as a member of New York City's Landmarks Preservation Commission, Tung sought to understand how the complex issue of urban conservation was handled around the world and to gather in one book a body of very basic information about this practice. Until the 20th century,. Can We Save Our Great Cities? What makes a city great? How do you preserve a great city? Why do you preserve a great city? Who can preserve a great city? As you finish this well crafted review by Anthony Tung of the evolving fate of 20 famous cities from around the earth, you feel the answers to these questions are within your grasp. A great city is a living manifestation of the society that built it over the centuries. It can be preserved by the dedicated and enlightened effort of those who live in it. Only they can develop it in a way that recognizes the changes of time w