About the Book Conn examines the shifting meaning of the regions history, the utopian impulse behind its founding, the role of the region in creating the American middle class, the regional watershed, and the way art and cultural institutions have given shape to a resident identity. Book Synopsis As Americas fifth largest city and fourth largest metropolitan region, Philadelphia is tied to its surrounding counties and suburban neighborhoods. It is this vital relationship, suggests Steven Conn, that will make or break greater Philadelphia. The Philadelphia region has witnessed virtually every major political, economic, and social transformation of American life. Having once been an industrial giant, the region is now struggling to fashion a new identity in a postindustrial world. On the one hand, Center City has been transformed into a vibrant hub with its array of restaurants, shops, cultural venues, and restored public spaces. On the other, unchecked suburban sprawl has generated concerns over rising energy costs and loss of agriculture and open spaces. In the final analysis, the region will need a dynamic central city for its future, while the city will also need a healthy sustainable region for its long-term viability. Central to the identity of a twenty-first century Metropolitan Philadelphia, Conn argues, is the deep and complicated interplay of past and present. Looking at the region through the wide lens of its culture and history, Metropolitan Philadelphia moves seamlessly between past and present. Displaying a specialists knowledge of the area as well as a deep personal connection to his subject, Conn examines the shifting meaning of the regions history, the utopian impulse behind its founding, the role of the region in creating the American middle class, the regional watershed, and the way art and cultural institutions have given shape to a resident identity. Impressionistic and beautifully written, Metropolitan Philadelphia will be of great interest to urbanists and at the same time accessible to the wider public intrigued in the rich history and cultural dynamics of this fascinating region. What emerges from the book is a wide-ranging understanding of what it means to say, Im from Philadelphia. Review Quotes An incisive, learned, and proudly unconventional portrait of the Philadelphia region. This richly textured and well-written volume attempts neither an exhaustive historical synthesis nor a focused examination of a particular time period or topic. Instead, Conn successfully strives for something different and distinctive-a deeply personal look through the prism of socioeconomic, cultural, religious, and environmental lenses at how Philadelphias past and present interact with and shape each other. What emerges from this undertaking is an invaluable work that joins the ranks of Nathaniel Popkins Song of the City (2002) and Buzz Bissingers A Prayer for the City (1997) in helping us understand the essence of what Philadelphia is now and how it got that way.-- Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography In this beautifully wrought book, Steven Conn combines an insiders intimate knowledge and abiding affection for his hometown, a historians deep research, and a social critics sharp wit. For Conn, history is the soul of the city. Weaving together past and present-both the commonplace and the extraordinary-Conn captures the essence of Philadelphia as no one has before.-- Thomas J. Sugrue, University of Pennsylvania Steven Conns book is just a delight. It is beautifully researched and written. It is meditative and soulful. Why is Philadelphia great? Why is it so special? Why must it be preserved? Conns book, presented with clarity and affection, makes the best case for the city I have read in a very long time. Quakerism. Clark Park. William Penn. Pearl Buck. The city mural program. The orchestra. The zoo. Conn has tied together all the different roots and traditions and institutions of the Philadelphia region together in a wonderful package.-- Buzz Bissinger, author of A Prayer for the City and Friday Night Lights About the Author A native Philadelphian, Steven Conn is coeditor (with Max Page) of Building the Nation: Americans Write About Their Architecture, Their Cities, and Their Landscape, winner of the Noble Book Award of the Pioneer America Society and available from the University of Pennsylvania Press. Conn contributes regularly to the Philadelphia Inquirer and City Paper.