Bird on Fire

Andrew Ross is Professor of Social and Cultural Analysis at New York University. He is the author of Fast Boat to China, The Celebration Chronicles, Nice Work if You Can Get It, and No-Collar. He has written for ArtForum, The Nation, and The Village Voice.

• By the Time I Got to Phoenix ; 1. Gambling at the Water Table ; 2. The Road Runner's Appetite ; 3. The Battle for Downtown ; I-Artists Step Up ; II-Who Can Afford the Green City? ; 4. Living Downstream ; 5. The Sun Always Rises ; 6. Viva Los Suns ; 7. Land for the Free ; 8. Delivering the Good

"Bird on Fire...has done something more than nail a list of fundamental problems, both societal and environmental, with our big city. Unlike author Richard Florida, who likes to lecture about what a city like Phoenix should be doing to set things right, Ross describes what led to our less-than-sustainable straits, then outlines what's in place for us to rectify the many mistakes local government has made." - The Phoenix New Times"Ross's conclusion - that if sustainable urbanism is "not directed by and toward principles of equity, then they will almost certainly end up reinforcing patterns of eco-apartheid" - is a bracing challenge." Publishers Weekly"If Phoenix could be greened, any place on earth could do it. And as this book makes clear, democracy and social justice will be every bit as key as solar panels."-Bill McKibben, author of Deep Economy"Books by Andrew Ross are always exhilarating adventures at the cutting edge of social thought, but Bird on Fire is particularly fascinating. Rather than recounting the green virtues of some demi-paradise like Vermont or San Francisco, he descends directly into the ecological and economic hell fires of Phoenix. The result is a landmark study of the micropolitics of the struggle for urban sustainability where the stakes are the highest."-Mike Davis, author ofCity of Quartz"Bird on Fire is a stunning report from the front lines. Ross vividly shows how and why our big cities are one of the top places where the fight to contain climate change will either be won or lost."-James Gustave Speth, author of The Bridge at the Edge of the World and co-founder of the National Resources Defense Council"This is a superb and important book. With a sweeping command of the subject, Andrew Ross reads from the entrails of Phoenix a story with hopeful insights for all of humane civilization. His graceful prose and political clarity make Bird on Fire not only useful but also very compelling and pleasurable to read."-Christian Parenti, author of Tropic of Chaos: Climate Change and the New Geography of Violence