This movement stems not only from the realization that sprawl is ecologically and economically unsustainable but also from a growing awareness of sprawl's many victims: children, utterly dependent on parental transportation if they wish to escape the cul-de-sac; the elderly, warehoused in institutions once they lose their driver's licenses; the middle class, stuck in traffic for two or more hours each day.Founders of the Congress for the New Urbanism, Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk are at the forefront of this movement, and in Suburban Nation they assess sprawl's costs to society, be they ecological, economic, aesthetic, or social. It is a lively, thorough, critical lament, and an entertaining lesson on the distinctions between postwar suburbia-characterized by housing clusters, strip shopping centers, office parks, and parking lots-and the traditional neighborhoods that were built as a matter of course until mid-century. It is an indictment of the entire development community, including governments, for the fact that America no longer builds towns. Most important, though, it is that rare book that also offers solutions.

    They are the heart of a community's social vitality and the grassroots of a democracy. Author Ray Oldenburg portrays, probes, and promotes th4ese great good places--coffee houses, cafes, bookstores, hair salons, bars, bistros, and many others both past and present--and offers a vision for their revitalization.Eloquent and visionary, this is a compelling argument for these settings of informal public life as essential for the health both of our communities and ourselves. And its message is being heard: Today, entrepreneurs from Seattle to Florida are heeding the call of The Great Good Place--opening coffee houses, bookstores, community centers, bars, and other establishments and proudly acknowledging their indebtedness to this book.

    But the city's worst crisis yet (and that's saying something) has managed to do the unthinkable: turn the end of days into a laboratory for the future. Urban planners, land speculators, neo-pastoral agriculturalists, and utopian environmentalists—all have been drawn to Detroit's baroquely decaying, nothing-left-to-lose frontier. With an eye for both the darkly absurd and the radically new, Detroit-area native and Rolling Stone writer Mark Binelli has chronicled this convergence. Throughout the city's "museum of neglect"—its swaths of abandoned buildings, its miles of urban prairie—he tracks the signs of blight repurposed, from the school for pregnant teenagers to the killer ex-con turned street patroller, from the organic farming on empty lots to GM's wager on the Volt electric car and the mayor's realignment plan (the most ambitious on record) to move residents of half-empty neighborhoods into a viable, new urban center.Sharp and impassioned, Detroit City Is the Place to Be is alive with the sense of possibility that comes when a city hits rock bottom. Beyond the usual portrait of crime, poverty, and ruin, we glimpse a future Detroit that is smaller, less segregated, greener, economically diverse, and better functioning—what might just be the first post-industrial city of our new century.

    Already at the beginning of the century, we became 50% urban as a global population, and by 2050 we're going to be up to 70% urban. So cities could either be our coffin or our ark.Leo Hollis presents evidence that cities can deliver a better life and a better world in the future. From exploring what slime mold can tell us about traffic flow, to looking at how traditional civic power structures are being overturned by Twitter, to investigating how cities all over the world are tackling climate change, population growth, poverty, shifting work patterns and the maintenance of the fragile trust of their citizens, Cities Are Good for You offers a new perspective on the city.Combining anecdote, scientific studies, historical portraits, first-hand interviews and observations of some of the most exciting world cities, Hollis upends long-held assumptions with new questions: Where do cities come from? Can we build a city from scratch? Does living in the city make you happier or fitter? Is the metropolis of the future female? What is the relationship between cities and creativity? And are slums really all that bad?Cities Are Good for You introduces us to dreamers, planners, revolutionaries, writers, scientists, architects, slum-dwellers and kings. Ranging globally and through time in search of answers--from the archive to the laboratory, from City Hall to the architect's desk--it is above all driven by the idea that cities are for people and by people.

    No mother to guide her, and a father who was always away. She has to deal with the curve balls that life has thrown her, and at times she doesn't think she's strong enough. All she has is her twin brother, Knox, by her side. When things in Kimora's life take a turn for the worse, she doesn't know which way to turn. Kimora's new found confidence comes from an unlikely source, and with her new confidence, she takes life full on. Knox Eldredge, Kimora's twin brother and protector, is a man who means what he says and says what he means. He has a no-nonsense type of attitude. He'll do anything to protect those he loves, even putting his life on the line for them. After an incident gone wrong, Knox has to man up and take full responsibility for his actions, but in the process, hurting the ones who love him the most. Then, you'll meet Prince. A complete ladies man, he has the gift of gab, and the swag of a superstar, but that may be his downfall in life. Loving the ladies isn't always a good thing. A broken heart can turn someone bitter, and Prince will find that out the hard way. Spirit Meyers, she has had a thing for Knox since she was a young girl, but she made a wrong decision that she deeply regretted. She doesn't know if Knox would ever forgive her, but she wants him to. Coming to terms with your actions is sometimes hard to do, and the past has a way of catching up to you. Prince and Knox are the definition of hood royalty. Kimora and Spirit know it feels good to be kissed, but when you're kissed by a hood prince, your life changes in so many ways. Take a ride with the foursome as they experience the changes that life throws at them while finding Love in the process.

    However, their happiness doesn’t last long with so many people trying to destroy them. Odessa comes up with a plan to get her man and help Roger get Ingrid back. But when it backfires, where does that leave the two of them? Marsha comes around and gives Cason devastating news that could cost him his daughter. He lashes out on everyone around, causing the one who loves him to question if staying together is worth it. Pierce found out what Rebel’s job is and couldn’t handle what he walked in on. However, a witness puts him there at the time of the shooting and it lands him in jail, which is the last place anyone wants to be. Shayla, left her daughter to follow behind a man who she finds out is using her for more than just a job. Still, she goes on the hunt for Pierce to finish what she started, but things don’t work out in her favor. The time will come to make a decision to either save her life or someone else close to her. The secrets and lies continue to come out, and only a few will be left standing. Find out who in the finale of Feenin For A Real One.

    After the divorce, her father relocated from Jacksonville to Miami for work. Kimora's world drastically turned upside down. Even though her father was still a part of her life, she missed him terribly. She was forced to grow up quickly and care for her ten-year-old brother, Kennard, while her mother celebrated her newfound freedom, by running the streets and neglecting her children for men and money. Thankfully, her best friend, Gabriela, was there to pick up the pieces and keep her sane. Neron Lopez was the jock and class clown of ninth grade, and Kimora despised him. It wasn't until she was compelled to work with him for a school project that she began to see a different side of him. Neron and Kimora quickly became an item and were inseparable. He dreamed of marrying Kimora after high school, but his dream was crushed when an unexpected twist tore them apart. Neron tried to move on with his life and forget about Kimora, but a drunken one-night stand at a party puts him on the path to fatherhood. He ultimately ends up with the baby mama from hell. Kimora and Neron can't seem to stop thinking about each other and want to rekindle their relationship but, with a crazy baby mama, is that possible? Follow Neron and Kimora and see if they can find their way back to each other.

    Antwan was the polar opposite of her; charming, outgoing,and popular but that didn’t matter. The two quickly formed a bond and became the best of friends. But what happens when these best friends take things to the next level? Could they risk losing each other forever?Join them on their journey as they grow up in the city of New Orleans.

    He had the best of everything and a bright future lay ahead of him.He escapes death’s hands at a young age, only to get caught up with life. Young, naive and inexperienced, Willie gets turned out by the excitement of the hood.The lure of a lifestyle filled with drugs, hookers and sex continuously consumes him. Lies and betrayal is his norm. Can he change before he loses his picture perfect life or is it too late?Remember, this is just the beginning . . .

    

    It is also the story of citizens in crisis: a woman fighting ceaselessly to give her great-grandchildren a better life, a father of six who may lose his job at the Navy Shipyard, and a policy analyst whose experiences as a crime victim tempt her to abandon her job and ideals. Heart-wrenching and hilarious, alive with detail and insight, A Prayer for the City describes a city on its knees and the rare combination of political courage and optimism that may be the only hope for America's urban centers.

    She's never understood the reason on why her mother hated her with a passion, but there is only so much one person can take before they break. When she finally releases the anger and rage in her heart, she'll realize that she's a far cry from a normal person. She realizes that the killing comes naturally like any hidden talent, and that she enjoys setting free the evil in her heart . Her mother does everything in her power to stop her from discovering who she really is; the child of the devil...the daughter of Black Ice.

    While the automobile's contribution to global warming and the effects of volatile gas prices is widely known, the problems we face every day because of our cars are much more widespread and yet much less known -- from the surprising $14,000 that the average family pays each year for the vehicles it owns, to the increase in rates of obesity and asthma to which cars contribute, to the 40,000 deaths and 2.5 million crash injuries each and every year.Carjacked details the complex impact of the automobile on modern society and shows us how to develop a healthier, cheaper, and greener relationship with cars.

    So bright, she was blinded by the persistent and ever so charming, Issac Rosenberg. Unable to resist his charm, Somaya goes against her parents’ demands and dates him anyway. Years later, she’s deep into a relationship she can’t see herself escaping from. Everything that once glittered, has lost its shine, and the man she fell in love with is no longer the same. Will Somaya be able to flee her once fairytale lifestyle, or will it leave her scarred?

    But can his past really just be his past? Edge’s skeletons seem to escape the closet that he’s been hiding them in when a blast from their past decides to resurface. She’s selfish, conniving, and deceitful, as well as bound and determined to get back the one thing she lost. But the question we all want to know is... Who is she? Secrets can destroy even the strongest bonds, but when they were never solid in the first place, what happens? The Harris men and everyone in their circle are about to find that out when their lives come crashing down around them... or will they?