Tomalty/Mallach Press Kit

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America’s Urban Future Lessons from North of the Border

By Ray Tomalty and Alan Mallach Washington, DC (January 14, 2016) — Americans are increasingly demanding more walkable and transit-friendly neighborhoods that provide a higher quality of living. Despite pockets of revitalization, most US metros continue to follow old patterns of central city decline. As demographic shifts and climate change usher in new ways of looking at settlement patterns, pressure for change in urban policy is growing.

In America’s Urban Future (publication date: February 9, 2016), urban experts Ray Tomalty and Alan Mallach examine US policy in light of the Canadian experience and draw lessons from Canada on fostering healthier urban centers and more energy-and resource-efficient suburban growth. They call for a rethinking of US public policies and offer specific policy recommendations that may be achievable at federal, state, and local levels.

While some of the differences in urban outcomes in the US and Canada can be accounted for by underlying social, cultural, and political differences, Tomalty and Mallach argue that many of the differences can be attributed to identifiable policy choices. Similarities between the US and Canada in governance, land use regulation, and more allow the authors to make comparisons and draw explicit policy implications that are far more difficult to make with comparative studies of the US and European or Asian countries.

Thoroughly researched and thoughtfully presented, America’s Urban Future examines a wide range of issues that affect urban revival and suburban growth, including the relationships between regional planning, land use, urban renewal, housing, education, transportation, energy, taxation, and more. Tomalty and Mallach also address topics that are often left out of the sustainable urbanism conversation, such as immigration and social equity issues.

America’s Urban Future is a must-read for anyone interested in the future of American cities and metro regions.

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Ray Tomalty is principal of Smart Cities Research Services, a research consultancy specializing in urban sustainability, including growth management, active transportation, green infrastructure, community energy planning, housing affordability, fiscal issues, and urban governance. He is the author of many research papers and policy reports prepared for federal, provincial and municipal governments and the non-profit sector in Canada. He is an adjunct professor at McGill University's School of Urban Planning and sits on the editorial board of Alternatives Journal, Canada's foremost environmental magazine.

Alan Mallach is a senior fellow at the Center for Community Progress in Washington, D.C. He is the author of many works on housing and planning, including Bringing Buildings Back: From Abandoned Properties to Community Assets and A Decent Home: Planning, Building and Preserving Affordable Housing. He has served as director of housing and economic development for Trenton, New Jersey; as a visiting scholar at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia; and as a non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

America’s Urban Future Lessons from North of the Border Island Press Paperback Original Publication Date: February 9, 2016 312 pages | Price: $40.00 ISBN: 978-1-61091-596-0 www.islandpress.org/americas-urban-future Founded in 1984, Island Press works to stimulate, shape, and communicate the information that is essential for solving environmental problems. Today, with more than 800 titles in print and some 40 new releases each year, it is the nation’s leading publisher of books on environmental issues. But Island Press does more than publish books. It advances environmental science by nurturing the exchange of ideas across disciplines and sectors, and by helping to create a multidisciplinary literature on environmental problems and solutions. The knowledge created is spread far beyond the range of a limited marketplace through sophisticated communications initiatives that reach journalists, academics, policymakers, practitioners and the general public. Through these efforts, Island Press is driving change by moving ideas from the printed page to public discourse and practice.

Island Press’s emphasis is, and will continue to be, on transforming objective information into understanding and action. For more information and further updates be sure to visit www.islandpress.org. ###

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