Cities in the Wilderness, New Vision of Land Use in America

Bruce Babbitt

We liked and appreciated what Babbitt has done for conservation, and we like what he has to say.

From the publisher:

“Bruce Babbitt was a major architect of environmental policy throughout the eight years of my administration. In Cities in the Wilderness, he is building upon that legacy with a visionary program for a national land use policy.” -- President Bill Clinton

In Cities in the Wilderness Bruce Babbitt makes the case for a new national land use policy. Throughout our history, from George Washington’s day to the present, federal policies have encouraged and subsidized destructive resource exploitation and out-of-control development that threaten the American landscape. The time has come for an enlightened role that the federal government can play: to ensure that the places and creatures we care about will endure for generations to come.

Cities in the Wilderness vividly captures the drama and politics behind key environmental victories of the last decade, all the while focusing on:

What Las Vegas and New Jersey can teach the rest of America about conservation;

How to consolidate Federal land to preserve ecosystems and wildlife;

The tactics necessary to bring competing interests to the bargaining table;

How we can fix the Missouri River;

New roles and goals for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; and

How smart land use planning makes for better cities and more open space.

The message is clear: America can be a land of growth and opportunity, but not at the expense of the landscapes we cherish."

Cloth, September 2005