Pencil Pushers the Culprit in New York Fires

A new nonfiction book called "The Fires" reveals how The RAND Corporation suggested money-saving cuts for New York City that resulted in a season of deadly fires in the city's poorest neighborhoods.

1 minute read

May 15, 2010, 9:00 AM PDT

By Tim Halbur

The full title is The Fires: How a Computer Formula, Big Ideas, and the Best of Intentions Burned Down New York City-and Determined the Future of Cities by Joe Flood.

Geoff Manaugh calls it "an impressive look at city planning, disaster management, urban decay (from huge, poison-resistant rats to neighborhoods where 90% of the buildings burned down), internecine municipal politics, the rise of the corporate consulting class, and the South Bronx, all set in a NYC on the verge of collapse."

FULL STORY: The Fires: Save the Date

Thursday, May 13, 2010 in BLDBLOG

Infrastructure New York Fires

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

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