Liberal Dreams and Nature's Limits: Great Cities of North America Since 1600

Abstract Through their ingenuity, North Americans harnessed nature's powers to the limits, creating great cities in our past. Five are analyzed closely. But nature does not allow further grand developments, hence cities can no longer lead and so decay. Great cities are in the past. Yet liberalism and a belief in progressive growth still dominates culture. Only a sea change in our ways will make cities, where nearly everyone resides, livable.