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The Great Society Subway: A History of the Washington Metro (Creating the North American Landscape) | 
 enlarge | Author: Zachary M. Schrag
Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press
Category: Book
List Price: $30.00
Buy New: $18.38
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Avg. Customer Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 114857
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 376
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.1
Dimensions (in): 10 x 7 x 1.4
ISBN: 080188246X
Dewey Decimal Number: 388.42809753
EAN: 9780801882463
ASIN: 080188246X
Publication Date: February 8, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand new item. Over 3.5 million customers served. Order now. Selling online since 1995. Few left in stock - order soon. Code: J20080504173650S
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Product Description
"A masterful work of urban policy history, The Great Society Subway tells the inside story, from idea to reality, of the development of the Washington Metro from the perspectives of all the key players. There's nothing like it available." -- Carl Abbott, Portland State University
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
 An Interesting But Laborious Read February 6, 2008
As evidenced by the numerous references, the author has been quite thorough in his research. However, the amount of detail bogs down the story, and it is quite easy to lose the greater picture. It would have served the story better to footnote most of the names and organizations. Of special note, however, are the drawings and photos from the period.
Overall, this book is a good complement to others regarding the history of the Washington D.C. metropolitan area, such as "The Pentagon: A History", "Grand Avenues: The Story of the French Visionary Who Designed Washington D.C.", and especially, "Freedom Rising:Washington in the Civil War."
In addition to the main subject, the book touches on themes addressed in other books regarding urban development, such as the "City Beautiful" movement that was popularized after the Chicago World Expo of the 1890's, "urban planning", immiment domain, "smart growth", and the boundaries between public and private interests in influencing the development of a metropolitan area. Other books that touch on these themes include Janet Jacobs' seminal work "The Death and Life of Great American Cities", as well as "Edge City, Life on the New Frontier", which devotes a large section to the evolution of the Tysons Corner area, and even "The Levittowners", a 1961 work which takes a sociological view of families migrating to Levittown, PA, a small surburban enclave of Philadelphia that was a developed by one of the nation's largest builders at the time, akin to today's Toll Brothers, perhaps.
Lastly, if you would like to explore the idea of completely planned communities, such as Greenbelt, MD, which was a product of the New Deal era, consider reading works dating back to the Utopian movement of the late 1800s, such as Edward Bellamy's "Looking Backward", and the ideas of Robert Owen, who created an experimental enclave in Scotland, and attempted to establish one in the U.S. as well.
In the end, as I read these diverse works it helped me shape my own ideas regarding the public/private balance over land use and development. It's an interesting journey that enhanced my understanding of the issues, but yet I still feel overwhelmed by magnitude of the issue. Perhaps we will indeed evolve to the types of cities imagined by Isaac Asimov in his "Foundation Series" of books.
 dc metro September 16, 2007
...if you are a dc metro foamer...or just interested...this is the book for you. Meaty with information on planning and execution...nicely, but not lavishly illustrated, you'll have to get your photo jolly's from another source. Great book, though!
 Too much detail. December 28, 2006
1 out of 9 found this review helpful
This is a timely book about Washington D.C.'s Metro, given the current controversy about its management, efficiency and reliability. This book answers many of the questions a typical rider of the Metro would ask. However, the writer provides far too much detail about all of the decisions that went into the zoning, planning and building of the Metro. It is very easy to get distracted and lost in each chapter.
A readable, yet involved, study November 5, 2006
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I moved to DC in 1981 and watched the colorful branches progress from hash marks to solids. There are quirks in the system; this book answered many of my questions. Particularly interesting are the failed attempts in the 1960's to carve expressways throughout the district and later, the design evolution of the glorious system to replace the road plan.
 The creator of DC Development June 28, 2006
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is a wonderful history of the DC Metro System. This subway has provided the underground infrastructure to relieve mis-guided highway construction that threatened the District. Metro has provided the impetus for development in the Dupont Circle, 7th Street, and New York Avenue corridors. When the new basebal stadium is constructed, it will be served by 2 Metro stations and new development will occur there.
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