The Urban Mystique

Josh Stephens grew up in Los Angeles knowing that it was a perfectly pleasant place with enviable weather an impressive natural environment and Hollywood glamour. But still he wondered whether a great city shouldn't be something ... more. With a title inspired by Betty Friedan's account of life in the suburbs The Urban Mystique is equal part lamentation and celebration. It collects some of Josh's work from the California Planning & Development Report and elsewhere covering everything from the minutiae of setbacks the regional impacts of transit investments the promise of smart growth and sustainability the precariousness of urban politics in the 21st century and the ineffable complexities that make all cities be they in California or anywhere else wondrous maddening and fascinating.