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"The Missouri Historical Society Press can take
considerable pride in having published Common Fields. This
is a book that should add much to the conversation among St. Louis
area residents about the past and present condition of their
environment. At the same time, it should enjoy a much wider
readership as well." --Phillip V. Scarpino in Public
Historian, spring 1998
"Common Fields may inspire a new genre in the field of
environmental history that focuses attention on individual cities.
In fact, other volumes are now being crafted with the organization
of Common Fields as a model." --Martin V. Melosi in
Journal of American History, March 1998
The confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers supported
some of the earliest settlements in America. From the Cahokia
Mounds civilization to the flood of 1993, residents of the St.
Louis region have depended on this landscape even as they have
threatened its bounty. In Common Fields, thirteen original
essays tell of the city's constant tension between urban growth and
environmental sustainability. The authors examine the relationship
between the city's diverse residents and the environment on which
their well-being depends. Whether channeling the river, laying
streets, or clearing the air of coal smoke, St. Louisans have shown
great ingenuity in overcoming the hazards of city development.
And yet, our solutions to making the best use of the environment
have only highlighted more basic societal questions: How do we
ensure liberty while providing equal opportunities? How do we
recognize uniqueness while eliminating barriers that prevent the
success of others? The answers have everything to do with our
ability to make sensible use of our environment--just as the
rivers, fields, and city streets will forever shape the character
of St. Louis. Edited by urban environmental historian Andrew
Hurley, contributors include Walter Schroeder, William R.
Iseminger, Patricia Cleary, F. Terry Norris, Eric Sandweiss,
Katharine T. Corbett, Mark Tebeau, Craig E. Colten, Jennifer A.
Crets, Joel A. Tarr, Carl Zimring, and Rosemary Feurer.
About the Editor
Andrew Hurley is associate professor of history at the University
of Missouri-St. Louis, where he teaches urban and environmental
history. He is the author of Environmental Inequalities: Class,
Race, and Industrial Pollution in Gary, Indiana, 1945-1980.
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