Building Optimism

<p><span style=background-color: rgba(0 0 0 0); color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Building the world of our dreams has never been more attainable than it is today. Our society is the wealthiest most knowledgeable and most technically advanced in history. Yet why does so much of the modern world around us feel dispiriting? </span></p><p><br></p><p><span style=background-color: rgba(0 0 0 0); color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>In this hopeful work Coby Lefkowitz details how the design of cities and towns is shaped by a community's beliefs and the decisions made based on those beliefs. If we want to create a better world we must first embrace the optimistic ideal that such a pursuit is both possible and worthwhile.</span></p><p><br></p><p><em style=background-color: rgba(0 0 0 0); color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Building Optimism </em><span style=background-color: rgba(0 0 0 0); color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>explores why American communities look the way they do and offers a series of concrete reforms to make them more beautiful desirable salubrious and affordable through dozens of project vignettes. Drawing on the fields of urban planning finance architecture governance and real estate development Lefkowitz provides a practical guide for developers city officials and design professionals on how to create a better future and a peek behind the scenes for anyone who is curious about how our world is shaped.</span></p>