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Acknowledgments Many individuals, places, and institutions provided valuable assistance and insights without which the writing of this book would have been impossible . Lawrence Vale’s unfailing intellectual generosity made the commencement and conclusion of my writing much easier. Zane Miller believed in this work during a difficult middle period, and his interest and energy sustained mine. Charles Hoch urged me to find my voice; I hope that this book is a step along that road. Editors Robert Lockhart and Eugenie L. Birch at the University of Pennsylvania Press helped refine my work into publishable form. Sam Bass Warner, Anne Spirn, Eran Ben-Joseph, Susan Fainstein, Jerold Kayden, David Stradling, Larry Bennett, Rachel Weber, and Roberta Feldman all gave valuable editing and publishing suggestions. Daniel Campo was and remains an important touchstone for ideas about Philadelphia and all cities. Karen Gage introduced me to Detroit and is still the primary lens through which I see the city. Abe Brewster generously offered design talents at a critical stage. My research assistants, including Ann-Ariel Vecchio, Sarah Spicer, Jonah Stern, Allison Hu, Christina Calabrese , Geoff Moen, Franny Ritchie, Drew Pompa, Ellie Brown, and Christine Wu, were invaluable. My mother, father, siblings, other family, friends, urban lunch and hk cohorts encouraged me throughout. While it may be true that ‘‘wherever you go, there you are,’’ I find travel to be a productive, even critical, stimulus for thought. I was fortunate to have the initial idea for this book in the midst of a Salzburg Seminar in Austria, and to complete key parts of my writing in Montserrat, West Indies ; Prudence Island, Rhode Island; and Chappaquiddick, Martha’s Vineyard . Last of all, I am grateful to two institutions that supported my writing and thinking. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology provided an essential semester’s leave and funding for research through the Linde Career Development Professorship, as did a Harvard University Graduate School of Design Junior Faculty Grant. I dedicate this book to my wife, Lorena, whose wonderful spirit of kindness and joy sustains me every day. ...

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