From Warfare to Welfare

From Warfare to Welfare is Jennifer Light's critique that urban planning was significantly impacted by United States defense planning. The book is well written, easy to read, and captivating. The pictures of urban development from the past few decades also really help to drive home her point.

My problem with reading books like this is that they're hard to critically engage. A lot of historical research was done, and I don't have enough of a background in American History to argue other points. For instance, there are so many different facets presented about the technologies that were used as roadmaps to promote urban dispersion that it is difficult to go back and uncover ulterior explanations.

Perhaps this is one of the problems with being a younger student. A good deal of what I end up believing needs to be taken at face value, and critiqued at a later point.

The rhetorical turn that I enjoyed was Light's realization that urban planning was only marginally effected by defense. That is, although the book focused on the interests of individuals like city planners and politicians to collaborate and work towards a common defense goal, it never materialized. It's a great bit of stake inoculation that makes the whole book more effective.