Most Americans today do not live in discrete cities and towns, but rather in an aggregation of cities and suburbs that forms one basic economic, multi-cultural, environmental and civic entity. These “regional cities” have the potential to significantly improve the quality of our lives--to provide interconnected and diverse economic centers, transportation choices, and a variety of human-scale communities. In The Regional City, two of the most innovative thinkers in the field of land use planning and design offer a detailed look at this new metropolitan form and explain how regional-scale planning and design can help direct growth wisely and reverse current trends in land use. The authors:

• discuss the nature and underpinnings of this new metropolitan form
• present their view of the policies and physical design principles required for metropolitan areas to transform themselves into regional cities
• document the combination of physical design and social and economic policies that are being used across the country
• consider the main factors that are shaping metropolitan regions today, including the maturation of sprawling suburbs and the renewal of urban neighborhoods

Peter Calthorpe is principal in the firm Calthorpe and Associates based in Berkeley, California. He is author of The Next American Metropolis (Princeton Architectural Press, 1993) and was named by Newsweek magazine as one of the twenty-five "innovators on the cutting edge" for his work redefining the models of urban and suburban growth in America.

William Fulton is president of Solimar Research Group, Inc., in Ventura, California and editor of the monthly newsletter the California Planning and Development Report. He is the author of three other books including theGuide to California Planning (Solano Press, 1991), and The Reluctant Metropolis (Solano Press, 1997).