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Book Cover
E-book
Author Šimková, Pavla, 1986- author.

Title Urban archipelago : an environmental history of the Boston Harbor Islands / Pavla Šimková
Published Amherst : University of Massachusetts Press, [2021]

Copies

Description 1 online resource : illustrations, maps
Series Environmental history of the Northeast
Environmental history of the Northeast.
Contents The commons of Boston Harbor : the Harbor Islands and colonial Boston -- The ultimate sink : the harbor and the islands as Boston's dumping ground -- The city of tomorrow : Boston Harbor and visions of urban renewal -- The romance of Boston Bay : Edward Rowe Snow and the reimagining of the Boston Harbor Islands -- A new spectacle : conservation and recreation in Boston Harbor
Summary "The Boston Harbor Islands have been called Boston's "hidden shores." While some are ragged rocks teeming with coastal wildlife, such as oystercatchers and harbor seals, others resemble manicured parks or have the appearance of wooded hills rising gently out of the water. Largely ignored by historians and previously home to prisons, asylums, and sewage treatment plants, this surprisingly diverse ensemble of islands has existed quietly on the urban fringe over the last four centuries. Even their latest incarnation as a national park and recreational hub has emphasized their separation from, rather than their connection to, the city. In this book, Pavla Šimková reinterprets the Boston Harbor Islands as an urban archipelago, arguing that they have been an integral part of Boston since colonial days, transformed by the city's changing values and catering to its current needs. Drawing on archival sources, historic maps and photographs, and diaries from island residents, this absorbing study attests that the harbor islands' story is central to understanding the ways in which Boston has both shaped and been shaped by its environment over time"-- Provided by publisher
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index
Notes Description based on online resource; title from digital title page (viewed on December 14, 2021)
Subject Archipelagoes -- Massachusetts -- History
Human ecology -- Massachusetts -- Boston Harbor Islands -- History
Urban ecology (Sociology) -- Massachusetts -- Boston
HISTORY / General
Archipelagoes
Ecology
Human ecology
Urban ecology (Sociology)
SUBJECT Boston Harbor Islands (Mass.) -- Environmental conditions
Boston Harbor Islands (Mass.) -- History
Boston (Mass.) -- History. http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85015930
Subject Massachusetts
Massachusetts -- Boston
Massachusetts -- Boston Harbor Islands
Genre/Form History
Form Electronic book
LC no. 2021017196
ISBN 9781613768730
1613768737
9781613768723
1613768729