the resilient city: how modern cities recover from disaster

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The Resilient City: How Modern Cities Recover from Disaster Lawrence J. Vale and Thomas J. Campanella. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005. This is an optimistic book. Its thesis is that cities, like people, show their deepest character after terrifying events. Throughout history, cities have been sacked, burned, torched, bombed, flooded, besieged, leveled—yet they almost al- ways rise from the ashes, stronger than ever. A fine example is Jerusalem, the greatest site of physical destruction and renewal in history. For over three millennia, it has suffered wars, earth- quakes, fires, sieges, reconstructions, transitions from one religious faith to another. Time and again, it has regenerated itself, and still ‘‘Jerusalem the Golden,’’ rich in history, scripture, and myth, endures. Nor do we have to leave our own shores to document the resilient essence of urbanism. The British invasion of Washington in 1814 left it in ruins. Today, our capital is the seat of the world’s only superpower. Many other examples come to mind. In 1871, Chicago was almost entirely destroyed by the Great Fire. San Francisco lay in smoldering ruins after the catastrophic earthquake of 1906. Look at these cities today! Now switch to the world scene. Between 1100 and 1800, cities such as Baghdad, Moscow, Aleppo, Mexico City, and Budapest lost between 60 percent and 90 percent of their populations. Yet they were rebuilt and eventually rebounded. Lines from one of Rudyard Kipling’s famous poems provide the leit motif for the book: Cities and Thrones and Powers Stand in Times’ eye, But, as new buds put forth To glad new men, Out of the spent and unconsidered Earth The Cities rise again. Sometimes even ‘‘lost cities,’’ such as Rome’s Pompeii or Algeria’s Timgad, are found and thrive on tourism, education, remembrance, or even myth. Saddam Hussein recreated Babylon, un- deterred by scant archeological remains. Following a twenty-page introduction by the authors, the book is divided into three parts: Narratives of Resilience, the Symbolic Dimensions of Trauma and Recovery, and the Politics of Reconstruction. Each of the fourteen chapters is written by a different author, two by joint authors. They are all held together by this goal: ‘‘By studying historical examples, we can learn the pressing questions that have been asked in the past as cities and their residents struggled to rebuild’’ (9). In an attempt to summarize a complicated subject and the essays in the book, the two authors offer ‘‘Twelve Axioms of Resilience.’’ Because they are provocative and challenging, I list them here: Narratives of resilience are a political necessity. Disasters reveal the resilience of government. Narratives of resistance are al- ways contested. Local resilience is linked to national resilience. Resilience is underwritten by outsiders. Urban rebuilding always symbolizes human resilience. Remembrance drives resilience. Resilience benefits from the inertia of prior investment. Resilience exploits the power of place. Resilience casts opportunism as opportu- nity. Resilience, like disaster, is site-specific. Resilience entails more than rebuilding. Other factors intervene. Industrial Detroit, an extreme example, has lost nearly a million people since 1950. Like their subject, the authors too are resilient and farsighted. In an era when those traits are in short supply, their well-researched and documen- ted account is welcome. The Resilient City offers a deeply informative and unsentimental tribute to the dogged persistence of the city, and indeed of the human spirit. City officials and planners and students at home and abroad will find this book indispensable. —Marshall W. Fishwick Virginia Tech 456 The Journal of American Culture Volume 28, Number 4 December 2005

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The Resilient City: HowModernCities Recover fromDisaster

Lawrence J. Vale and Thomas J. Campanella.New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.

This is an optimistic book. Its thesis is thatcities, like people, show their deepest characterafter terrifying events. Throughout history, citieshave been sacked, burned, torched, bombed,flooded, besieged, leveled—yet they almost al-ways rise from the ashes, stronger than ever.

A fine example is Jerusalem, the greatest site ofphysical destruction and renewal in history. Forover three millennia, it has suffered wars, earth-quakes, fires, sieges, reconstructions, transitionsfrom one religious faith to another. Time andagain, it has regenerated itself, and still ‘‘Jerusalemthe Golden,’’ rich in history, scripture, and myth,endures.

Nor do we have to leave our own shores todocument the resilient essence of urbanism. TheBritish invasion of Washington in 1814 left it inruins. Today, our capital is the seat of the world’sonly superpower.

Many other examples come to mind. In 1871,Chicago was almost entirely destroyed by theGreat Fire. San Francisco lay in smoldering ruinsafter the catastrophic earthquake of 1906. Look atthese cities today! Now switch to the world scene.Between 1100 and 1800, cities such as Baghdad,Moscow, Aleppo, Mexico City, and Budapest lostbetween 60 percent and 90 percent of theirpopulations. Yet they were rebuilt and eventuallyrebounded.

Lines from one of Rudyard Kipling’s famouspoems provide the leit motif for the book:

Cities and Thrones and PowersStand in Times’ eye,But, as new buds put forthTo glad new men,Out of the spent and unconsidered EarthThe Cities rise again.

Sometimes even ‘‘lost cities,’’ such as Rome’sPompeii or Algeria’s Timgad, are found and thrive

on tourism, education, remembrance, or evenmyth. Saddam Hussein recreated Babylon, un-deterred by scant archeological remains.

Following a twenty-page introduction by theauthors, the book is divided into three parts:Narratives of Resilience, the Symbolic Dimensionsof Trauma and Recovery, and the Politics ofReconstruction. Each of the fourteen chapters iswritten by a different author, two by joint authors.They are all held together by this goal: ‘‘Bystudying historical examples, we can learn thepressing questions that have been asked in the pastas cities and their residents struggled to rebuild’’ (9).

In an attempt to summarize a complicatedsubject and the essays in the book, the twoauthors offer ‘‘Twelve Axioms of Resilience.’’Because they are provocative and challenging, Ilist them here: Narratives of resilience are apolitical necessity. Disasters reveal the resilienceof government. Narratives of resistance are al-ways contested. Local resilience is linked tonational resilience. Resilience is underwritten byoutsiders. Urban rebuilding always symbolizeshuman resilience. Remembrance drives resilience.Resilience benefits from the inertia of priorinvestment. Resilience exploits the power ofplace. Resilience casts opportunism as opportu-nity. Resilience, like disaster, is site-specific.Resilience entails more than rebuilding. Otherfactors intervene. Industrial Detroit, an extremeexample, has lost nearly a million people since1950.

Like their subject, the authors too are resilientand farsighted. In an era when those traits are inshort supply, their well-researched and documen-ted account is welcome. The Resilient City offersa deeply informative and unsentimental tribute tothe dogged persistence of the city, and indeed ofthe human spirit. City officials and planners andstudents at home and abroad will find this bookindispensable.

—Marshall W. FishwickVirginia Tech

456 The Journal of American Culture � Volume 28, Number 4 � December 2005