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Books : The Great Society Subway: A History of the Washington Metro (Creating the North American Landscape)In association with Amazon.com List Price: $30.00 Amazon.com's Price: $21.90 You Save: $8.10 (27%)Prices subject to change. Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Binding: HardcoverDewey Decimal Number: 388.42809753 EAN: 9780801882463 ISBN: 080188246X Label: The Johns Hopkins University Press Manufacturer: The Johns Hopkins University Press Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 376 Publication Date: February 08, 2006 Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press Studio: The Johns Hopkins University Press Sales Rank: 327223 Related Items:
Editorial Review: Product Description: Drivers in the nation's capital face a host of hazards: high-speed traffic circles, presidential motorcades, jaywalking tourists, and bewildering signs that send unsuspecting motorists from the Lincoln Memorial into suburban Virginia in less than two minutes. And parking? Don't bet on it unless you're in the fast lane of the Capital Beltway during rush hour. Little wonder, then, that so many residents and visitors rely on the Washington Metro, the 106-mile rapid transit system that serves the District of Columbia and its inner suburbs. In the first comprehensive history of the Metro, Zachary M. Schrag tells the story of the Great Society Subway from its earliest rumblings to the present day, from Arlington to College Park, Eisenhower to Marion Barry. Unlike the pre--World War II rail systems of New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia, the Metro was built at a time when most American families already owned cars, and when most American cities had dedicated themselves to freeways, not subways. Why did the nation's capital take a different path? What were the consequences of that decision? Using extensive archival research as well as oral history, Schrag argues that the Metro can be understood only in the political context from which it was born: the Great Society liberalism of the Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon administrations. The Metro emerged from a period when Americans believed in public investments suited to the grandeur and dignity of the world's richest nation. The Metro was built not merely to move commuters, but in the words of Lyndon Johnson, to create "a place where the city of man serves not only the needs of the body and the demands of commerce but the desire for beauty and the hunger for community." Schrag scrutinizes the project from its earliest days, including general planning, routes, station architecture, funding decisions, land-use impacts, and the behavior of Metro riders. The story of the Great Society Subway sheds light on the development of metropolitan Washington, postwar urban policy, and the promises and limits of rail transit in American cities. Average Rating:
 Rating:  - An Interesting But Laborious ReadAs evidenced by the numerous references, the author has been quite thorough in his research. However, the amount of detail bogs down the story, and it is quite easy to lose the greater picture. It would have served the story better to footnote most of the names and organizations. Of special note, however, are the drawings and photos from the period. Overall, this book is a good complement to others regarding the history of the Washington D.C. metropolitan area, such as "The Pentagon: ... Read More Rating:  - dc metro...if you are a dc metro foamer...or just interested...this is the book for you. Meaty with information on planning and execution...nicely, but not lavishly illustrated, you'll have to get your photo jolly's from another source. Great book, though! Rating:  - Too much detail.This is a timely book about Washington D.C.'s Metro, given the current controversy about its management, efficiency and reliability. This book answers many of the questions a typical rider of the Metro would ask. However, the writer provides far too much detail about all of the decisions that went into the zoning, planning and building of the Metro. It is very easy to get distracted and lost in each chapter. Rating: - A readable, yet involved, studyI moved to DC in 1981 and watched the colorful branches progress from hash marks to solids. There are quirks in the system; this book answered many of my questions. Particularly interesting are the failed attempts in the 1960's to carve expressways throughout the district and later, the design evolution of the glorious system to replace the road plan. Rating:  - The creator of DC DevelopmentThis is a wonderful history of the DC Metro System. This subway has provided the underground infrastructure to relieve mis-guided highway construction that threatened the District. Metro has provided the impetus for development in the Dupont Circle, 7th Street, and New York Avenue corridors. When the new basebal stadium is constructed, it will be served by 2 Metro stations and new development will occur there. Browse for similar items by category:
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