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1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

A thought-provoking look at the demands and expectations we place on our growing cities in the twenty-first century. An excellent introduction to the subject for young adults.

Today, more people live in cities than in rural areas. The search for better housing, transit, economic opportunity, and security within neighbourhoods forces today's city-dwellers — in both the developed world and in megacities in Asia, Africa, and Latin America — to confront what it means to live in our urban world.

In this book, cities specialist John Lorinc considers the enormous implications of the mass migration away from rural regions, and predicts that solutions will emerge from neighbourhoods and dynamic networks linking communities to governments and the broader urban world.

"[The Groundwork Guides] are excellent books, mandatory for school libraries and the increasing body of young people prepared to take ownership of the situations and problems previous generations have left them." — Globe and Mail

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.1

Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.2

Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.3

Analyze in detail how a key individual, event, or idea is introduced, illustrated, and elaborated in a text (e.g., through examples or anecdotes).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.4

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.6

Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the text.

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  • Reviews

    • Booklist

      December 1, 2008
      Grades 7-12 In 2008, for the first time in human history, more people live in cities than in the countryside. This packed, highly readable small title in the Groundwork Guide series does an excellent job of tracing urban history worldwide, raising the big social, political, and economic issues of poverty, migration, conservation, public health, crime, transportation, and much more, always rooted in specific examples of the problems and riches of city life. From Japans amazing high-speed trains and the role of the family car in the growth of the suburbs in North America, to the one billion people worldwide who live in slums with no access to clean water, the widening gap between rich and poor is a constant theme, right up to the effects of todays mass migrations and the rising environmental movement. With a detailed time line and full chapter notes and bibliography, this is sure to make readers further explore where they live and why.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)

    • The Horn Book

      January 1, 2009
      This book begins with the premise that, "if most of us live in cities, we need to understand how these complex places function." Lorinc draws fascinating parallels between ancient and contemporary cities, but he does not spend enough time discussing positive urban elements, such as arts and culture. As represented in the strongest chapter, "Urban Poverty," somberness defines this volume. Reading list, timeline. Ind.

      (Copyright 2009 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Formats

  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:1380
  • Text Difficulty:11-12

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