{"product_id":"parallel-utopias-the-quest-for-community-9780811805476","title":"Parallel Utopias: The Quest for Community","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eParallel Utopias: The Quest for Community\u003c\/strong\u003e by Sexton, Richard. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780811805476.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs the twentieth century draws to a close, the desire for communities that offer an improved quality of life - where the pedestrian is as viable as the motorist; where the architecture is varied, human-scaled, and responsive to its environment; where residents can find privacy yet enjoy the company of their neighbors - has taken on a particularly significant urgency.\nAs Richard Sexton convincingly documents in Parallel Utopias, two special places - The Sea Ranch in Northern California and Seaside in the Florida panhandle - have arrived at two unique solutions in the search for the ideal community. A lively introductory essay outlines the nature of this archetypal quest, followed by an engaging discussion of the philosophy, architecture, history, and character of both communities. Sextons sumptuous full-color photographs tour each community in detail, from their built environment and the surrounding dramatic coastal landscape to the furnishings residents have chosen for their homes.\nIn their contributing essays, urban sociologist Ray Oldenburg analyzes with piercing clarity the evolution and contradictions of our contemporary communities, and architect William Turnbull, Jr., lucidly examines the role of the architect in shaping viable living spaces.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Chronicle Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44642366849077,"sku":"ByrdShop_0811805476","price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/ByrdShop_0811805476_c55c76f5-2776-40bc-80a0-d56c1df73dcd.jpg?v=1778907942","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/parallel-utopias-the-quest-for-community-9780811805476","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}