Stop the Road: Stories from the Trenches of Baltimore's Road Wars

Stop the Road: Stories from the Trenches of Baltimore's Road Wars

Stop the Road is an up-close-and-personal account of Baltimore's 40-year battle over expressway plans. Meet the unsung heroes, a ragtag band of neighborhood activists, preservationists, and environmentalists who saved Baltimore from its own leadership, thereby protecting Baltimore's historic waterfront communities of Federal Hill, Fell's Point, and Canton. But that glorious and unlikely win must be tempered with the equally compelling but inglorious story behind the disastrous Highway to Nowhere. This is Baltimore unmasked and laid threadbare for the most momentous decisions since the building of the B&O Railroad. "Read Evans Paull's 'Stop the Road,' a superbly detailed account ... You'll be cheered by the hard work, resiliency, and commitment of so many citizens of all races, ethnicities, and incomes." J. Randall Evans, former Secretary, Maryland Department of Economic & Employment Development "A book that is essential for understanding today's Baltimore ." Antero Pietila, author, Not in My Neighborhood: How Bigotry Shaped a Great American City. I enjoyed this book immensely. Ev Paull is a terrific writer. .. his clear and lucid accounts are as informative and instructional as they are entertaining. Paull deftly brings to life the history of Baltimore's important decisions over the largest infrastructure projects ever undertaken in the city. I highly recommend this... The lessons are universal. The story is riveting. The research is impressive." Wells Obrecht, President, Obrecht Commercial Real Estate "Evans Paull has found many of these courageous people and made their 'highway stories' a compelling human history of the challenges that faced post-war urban America. " Mark Reutter, Senior Editor, Baltimore Brew and author, Making Steel: Sparrows Point and the Rise and Ruin of American Industrial Might. "Great beach read! Paull's writing is informative and crisp, with humorous asides ... I enthusiastically recommend "Stop the Road..." Kirby Fowler, former President, Downtown Partnership The Baltimore Road Wars story is quite a tale of the outsiders and the powerless incredibly prevailing over the insiders and the powerful. It is an phenomenal story -- I only hope that I have done it justice. My readers apparently think that I succeeded.   NOT JUST A CITY PLANNING STORY . I am particularly pleased that my reviewers say this book transcends the pigeon-hole of a book about highways written by a city planner. In their words: " a page-turner ;" " a great beach read ;" " captures the human interest side of the politics around highway building;" "replete with first-hand accounts and lively anecdote s;" " entertaining... and riveting... with humorous asides ;" " couldn't put the book down ;" "... enthralling stories of ordinary people doing remarkable things;" and " a compelling human history ."   WRITTEN TO ENGAGE: I am also enormously gratified that reviewers have found the style of writing to be especially appealing: "[this is] an exquisitely written book ;" "[Paull is] a great writer ;" "Paull's writing is informative and crisp ;" "Paull's wonderful writing paints a detailed picture...;" and " I put this book on par with the likes of Robert Caro's, The Power Broker ."   NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE. I am further delighted to report that many readers see the book as a story with national significance: " a must-read for anyone who cares about American cities ;" "I highly recommend this to anyone interested in civic affairs in any large city... the lessons are universal ;" " A requirement for understanding communities ;" and "The story is of equal relevance to urban planners/historians, as well as everyday citizens who are interested in the evolution of their city's planning and preservation efforts." Northwest Baltimore resident E. Evans Paull spent 45 years as a city planner working in Baltimore and nationally on urban redevelopment issues. He began his career in the Baltimore City Department of Planning as a generalist planner before specializing in the redevelopment of brownfields (vacant/under-utilized land the reuse of which is complicated by contamination). After starting and managing Baltimore's Brownfields Initiative, he tackled these same issues at a national level, working first for Northeast-Midwest Institute before becoming director of the National Brownfields Coalition and finally running his consulting business, Redevelopment Economics. Paull authored articles that have appeared in twelve professional journals. Paull has won several awards, including: Brownfields Leadership Award, Phoenix Award (for brownfields redevelopment), Governor's Smart Growth Award and Professional Achievement in Economic Development Award from the Maryland Chapter American Planning Association.