Reclaiming the American West

Architecture

ISBN: 9781568983622
English edition
Princeton Architectural Press
Hardcover, 224 pages
27,9 x 24,1 cm
colour/black & white
December 2002
€34,00 (excl. VAT)

Reclaiming the American West

Alan Berger

There are over 200,000 abandoned mines covering hundreds of thousands of acres in the western United States. Seen from the air, they create surreal, haunting, yet somehow beautiful landscapes of mind-boggling scale. But these scarred landscapes are only temporary: by law, mining companies are required to reclaim them, and the process of renewal exposes many physical, philosophical, technological, environmental, political, regulatory and ethical issues.

Using aerial photography, maps, designs, charts and analyses, Alan Berger provides an overview of the possibilities and dangers of converting these altered landscapes. Reclaiming the American West covers the historical background and policy, as well as representational, technical, and design challenges presented by working with these enormous toxic sites, many of which have been converted into landscapes of extraordinary beauty.