Chapter 1: Are you Ready for a Life of Adventure?1 - 16
Chapter 2: The Urban Quality Checklist17 - 42
Chapter 3: Getting Urban 10143 - 74
There is less reading here than meets the eye: lots of pictures and the odd diagram or two. It shouldn’t take tons of time to do a fair job on the materials involved. As you work through it, see if you can find examples in your own cities.
The Preface: Ezell is targeting a specific audience here, and you’re just about part of that audience. As you read this book...think about to what extent he understands people in your demographic. Why is he interested in attracting people like you to city life, and what does he think will “sell” cities to you?
Chapter 1: At the end of the chapter Ezell provides an “Urban Draw Sheet” and a “Suburban Flaw Sheet”. I’m going to make a version of these for you, and post them to the website. I want to have you download copies and take a few minutes to fill it them out.
Chapter 2: Since Moses and at least up to David Letterman, I guess, ten has been a popular number for lists. Here, Ezell gives you his ten points for determining Urban Quality. Recognize, of course, that he’s not arguing that every area in every city provides desirable living conditions. You’ll want to pretend that you’re interested in city life as you read this chapter, and understand what to look for to maximize your enjoyment of city life. You’ll see some things which remind you of Jacobs here. You’ll also find some pictures which may appeal to you. If you find yourself drawn to a particular place, make note of it. At the end of this chapter Ezell provides a “Sample Urban Quality Checklist. I’m going to recreate this for you, too, but take out all the answers. In a week or two, I’m going to have you hunting for a “quality” area. Either in the city upon which you’re working, or another city of your own choice.
Chapter 3: Wow! Ezell really does fixate on the number 10. Here, we have not ten points, but Ten Lessons. No, you don’t have to memorize them. You do have to understand the principles in each. The charts here are going to be important. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE YOUR BOOK WITH YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At the end of the chapter is a little survey. I've prepared a copy of that, too. Download it and take it.
At the end of Chapter Three you’ll find a little Survey which identifies Four Kinds of Urbanites:Postindustrial Urbanites, Garden Urbanites, Eclectic Urbanites, and Blank Slate Urbanites. Take the survey, and decide if you had to be an Urbanite, which kind would you most likely be.
For Tuesday, April 15
Please accept my apologies for Still not having your papers finished. A bit more life happened than I could juggle efficientlys...dentist, delayed advising, honors banquets, this, that and the other thing. I will get them completed by next Tuesday unless I get hit by a meteor or a skate-boarder. Again. Sorry. Whoops I lied. It will probably be Thursday. I've had to create a test area to view the google maps links. Sometimes I outsmart myself.
We'll be working in our last two books simultaneously, and we'll be reading parts of both, not all of both. I thought this time around I'd begin introducing you to Kyle Ezell's Get Urban. As you'll find out, the book is directed as people of a certain demographic, and it has a specific objective in mind: We don't often encounter advocacy books in the classroom, but I thought in this instance it would be a good thing for us to do. Next week, we'll start Suarez, and balance the two from then until the end of the semester.
St. James Church Episcopal Church in Cleveland, Ohio, where I sang during my graduate school days. The surrounding area has become a "blank slate" in the intervening years.
For Friday, April 18
No new readings.
Whether or not we like urban living, some are beginning to wonder whether any other style of life is sustainable. We'll look at and discuss the film The End of Suburbia"produced in 2004. As you look at it, keep an eye out for the "outrageous" gas prices. You'll see them on the pump from time to time.
Preface: Why I wrote This Book 
