"INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Imaginary cities : Eurasia's first urbanites-in Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley, Ukraine and China-and how they built cities without kings -- Hiding in plain sight : the indigenous origins of social housing and democracy in the Americas."

"Vast areas in the same cities house thousands of people living in poverty who see little or no new hope or opportunity. Even as cities revive, they are becoming more unequal and more segregated. What does this mean for these cities--and the people who live in them? This is the first book to provide a comprehensive, grounded picture of the transformation of America's older industrial cities."

Uncovers the systemic problems that expose poor communities to environmental hazards From St. Louis to New Orleans, from Baltimore to Oklahoma City, there are poor and minority neighborhoods so beset by pollution that just living in them can be hazardous to your health. Due to entrenched segregation, zoning ordinances that privilege wealthier communities, or because businesses have found the 'paths of least resistance,' there are many hazardous waste and toxic facilities in these communities, leading residents to experience health and wellness problems on top of the race and class discrimination most already experience. Toxic Communities greatly contributes to the study of race, the environment, and space in the contemporary United States."