Author Description

"San Francisco is perhaps the most exhilarating of all American cities - its beauty, cultural and political avant-gardism, and history are legendary, while its idiosyncrasies make front-page news. In this revised and updated edition of his highly regarded study of San Francisco's economic and political development since the mid-1950s, Chester Hartman gives a detailed account of how the city has been transformed by the expansion - outward and upward - of its downtown. His story is fueled by a wide range of players and an astonishing array of events, from police storming the International Hotel to citizens forcing the midair termination of a freeway. Throughout, Hartman raises a troubling question: can San Francisco's unique qualities survive the changes that have altered the city's skyline, neighborhoods, and economy?"--BOOK JACKET.