Small, Gritty & Green
The Promise of America’s Smaller Industrial Cities in a Low-Carbon World
by Catherine Tumber
HT153 .T86 2012
New Arrivals, 2nd floor
It’s no secret that the downturn in the economy has had a significant impact on southern Wisconsin and has affected our students and their families. This week’s featured title offers a glimpse of hope for cities like Janesville and Rockford, as these once industry-heavy populations find solutions to their current predicaments.
Tumber, research affiliate at MIT’s Community Innovators Lab, examines the Rust Belt, the smaller and midsize cities that had a strong manufacturing focus before a number of factors like deindustrialization and outsourcing took their toll. She took her show on the road to interview the people of these cities, the planners, the officials, and the activists, to gauge their assessment of the situation. In the end, the author contends that these population centers will serve an important role in society, especially with the local sourcing movement and the happy medium between the urban and rural areas. If you’re doing research on potential options for places in our region, make sure to check this book out!
