Originally published in 1989, America’s Suburban Centers looks at how America’s suburban workplaces are being increasingly designed for automobiles rather than people. The emergence of sprawling office complexes devoid of housing, shops and other facilities is giving rise to regional congestion problems because of the ever-greater dependence on automobiles. This book argues that the low-density, single-use, and non-integrated character of America’s suburban centers is a root cause of declining levels of mobility and worsening traffic congestion.

The volumes in this set, originally published between 1970 and 1998, draw together research by leading academics in the area of urban planning, and provide a rigorous examination of related key issues. The volumes examine teaching, urban markets, planning, transport planning, poverty, politics, forecasting techniques and an examination of the inner city in Europe and the US, whilst also exploring the general principles and practices of planning. This set will be of particular interest to students of sociology, geography, planning and urbanization respectively.

Robert Cervero documents the rise in suburban traffic around the country and examines the role of various planning, design, and management approaches in defining the automobile's growing presence in suburbia. The book highlights suburban business complexes and mixed-use centers throughout the United States that have been planned and designed to reduce auto dependency and to promote ridesharing, transit usage, and other commuting alternatives.Steps taken by various municipalities to enlist the support of private interests in reducing employee trip-making and financing area-wide roadway improvements are also examined. While the analysis is national in scope, detailed case studies offer in-depth insights into the many institutional and logistical problems involved in mitigating the impact of suburban congestion.The transportation planning profession has historically focused its attention and resources on downtown access and mobility problems. Suburbs, and places beyond, have long been considered havens for travel, free from traffic jams, and ideal for leisurely weekend excursions. Over the years, transportation planning in suburbia has involved little more than adding new projects to five-year capital improvement programs. This book remains essential for planners, administrators, and citizens interested in the future of suburbia and safeguarding it from the coming transportation crisis.