Cities, Sagebrush, and Solitude: Urbanization and Cultural Conflict in the Great Basin

Urban West

by Dennis R. Judd (Editor), Stephanie L. Witt (Editor)

Cities, Sagebrush, and Solitude explores the transformation of the largest desert in North America, the Great Basin, into America’s last urban frontier. In recent decades Las Vegas, Reno, Salt Lake City, and Boise have become the anchors for sprawling metropolitan regions. This population explosion has been fueled by the maturing of Las Vegas as the nation’s entertainment capital, the rise of Reno as a magnet for multitudes of California expatriates, the development of Salt Lake City’s urban corridor along the Wasatch Range, and the growth of Boise’s celebrated high-tech economy and hip urban culture.

The blooming of cities in a fragile desert region poses a host of environmental challenges. The policies required to manage their impact, however, often collide with an entrenched political culture that has long resisted cooperative or governmental effort. The alchemical mixture of three ingredients—cities, aridity, and a libertarian political outlook—makes the Great Basin a compelling place to study. This book addresses a pressing Are large cities ultimately sustainable in such a fragile environment?

281 pages, Paperback

First published March 16, 2015

Reviews

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are few books that discuss the Great Basin and the four cities that have grown up on its edges. These essays are inform us about the culture of the inhabitants, both urban and frontier, and the real environmental issues of the area. Worth reading.

[Jerry Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of essays on the cities of the Great Basin. As a Boise resident, this was a worthwhile read for one essay alone: Cowboys and Clerics - Political Culture and Planning in Salt Lake City and Boise. This excerpt is a fascinating episode of history on the planning and political troubles of my region.

Overall, the essays vary in topic and interestingness, but a few make it worth at least a skim.