In this Book
- From Warfare to Welfare: Defense Intellectuals and Urban Problems in Cold War America
- Book
- 2004
- Published by: Johns Hopkins University Press
summary
During the early decades of the Cold War, large-scale investments in American defense and aerospace research and development spawned a variety of problem-solving techniques, technologies, and institutions. From systems analysis to reconnaissance satellites to think tanks, these innovations did not remain exclusive accessories of the defense establishment. Instead, they readily found civilian applications in both the private and public sector. City planning and management were no exception.Jennifer Light argues that the technologies and values of the Cold War fundamentally shaped the history of postwar urban America. From Warfare to Welfare documents how American intellectuals, city leaders, and the federal government chose to attack problems in the nation's cities by borrowing techniques and technologies first designed for military engagement with foreign enemies. Experiments in urban problem solving adapted the expertise of defense professionals to face new threats: urban chaos, blight, and social unrest. Tracing the transfer of innovations from military to city planning and management, Light reveals how a continuing source of inspiration for American city administrators lay in the nation's preparations for war.
Table of Contents
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- Acknowledgments
- pp. vii-x
- Introduction
- pp. 1-9
- Part I: Command, Control, and Community
- 3. Cybernetics and Urban Renewal
- pp. 55-92
- Part II: Cities in the Space Age
- 4. Urban Intelligence Gathering
- pp. 95-123
- 5. Moon-Shot Management for American Cities
- pp. 124-160
- Part III: The Urban Crisis as National Security Crisis
- 6. Cable as a Cold War Technology
- pp. 163-194
- 7. Wired Cities
- pp. 195-230
- Conclusion
- pp. 231-238
- Note on Sources
- pp. 275-280
Additional Information
ISBN
9780801881466
Related ISBN(s)
9780801874222, 9780801882739
MARC Record
OCLC
70727480
Pages
304
Launched on MUSE
2013-01-01
Language
English
Open Access
No