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Description - Designing America's Waste Landscapes by Mira E. Engler

One of the most visible consequences of our society's breakneck level of production and consumption is the increasing amount of land designated as landfill and other waste disposal and processing sites. Often located in marginal areas or adjacent to politically and economically dispossessed communities, these places are usually ignored, as is the garbage that fills them. In Designing America's Waste Landscapes, landscape architect and scholar Mira Engler takes a close look at the landfills, recycling and waste transfer centers, and sewage treatment plants that accommodate and redistribute the byproducts of consumption. For Engler, waste is a key element in the way we consider, order, and shape our landscape. Yet the overwhelmingly negative, defensive perceptions we have of these places limits our ability to respond creatively and effectively to the growing problem of waste disposal.
Addressing two distinct aspects of waste landscapes in America - the historic and cultural context of waste and the theories, practices, and concerns of the landscape designers and waste management professionals - Engler reviews the physical evolution of waste sites across the country, scrutinizes perceptions and representations of these landscapes, and highlights attempts to change them. With more than 70 illustrations, this book provides cogent insight into the environmental and aesthetic parameters of waste management technology.

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