In his new book, The Working Landscape: Founding, Preservation, and the Politics of Place (MIT Press), Visiting Assistant Professor of Government Peter F. Cannavò focuses on the displacement and transformation of our landscape, the "crisis of place facing the United States." He points out that "rampant development, unsustainable exploitation of resources, environmental degradation, and the commodification of places are ruining built and natural landscapes, disconnecting people from their surroundings and threatening individuals' fundamental sense of place. Meanwhile, preservationists often respond with a counterproductive stance that rejects virtually any change in the landscape."
According to the publisher, "Cannavò identifies this zero-sum conflict between development and preservation as a major factor behind our contemporary crisis of place. Cannavò offers practical and theoretical alternatives to this deadlocked, polarized politics of place by proposing an approach that embraces both change and stability and unifies democratic and ecological values, creating a 'working landscape.'
Help us provide an accessible education, offer innovative resources and programs, and foster intellectual exploration.