Grady Clay looks hard at the landscape, finding out who built what
and why, noticing who participates in a city's success and who gets
left in a 'sink, ' or depressed (often literally) area. Clay
doesn't stay in the city; he looks at industrial towns, truck
stops, suburbs--nearly anywhere people live or work. His style is
witty and readable, and the book is crammed with illustrations that
clarify his points. If I had to pick up one book to guide my
observations of the American scene, this would be it.--Sonia
Simone, Whole Earth Review
The emphasis on the informal aspects of
city-shaping--topographical, historical, economic and social--does
much to counteract the formalist approach to American urban design.
Close-Up...should be required reading for anyone wishing to
understand Americans and their cities.--Roger Cunliffe,
Architectural Review
Close-Up is a provocative and stimulating book.--Thomas J.
Schlereth, Winterthur Portfolio
Within this coherent string of essays, the urban dweller or
observer, as well as the student, will find refreshing strategies
for viewing the environmental 'situations' interacting to form a
landscape.--Dallas Morning News
Clay's Close-Up, first published in 1973, is still a key book for
looking at the real American city. Too many urban books and
guidebooks concentrate on the good parts of the city....Clay looks
at all parts of the city, the suburbs, and the places between
cities, and develops new terms to describe parts of the built
environment--fronts, strips, beats, stacks, sinks, and turf. No one
who wants to understand American cities or to describe them, should
fail to know this book. The illustrations are of special interest
to the guidebook writer.--American Urban Guidenotes
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