Mumford, Jacobs, Brechin, and Perelman are all good names. Brechin's book is indeed excellent - Upton Sinclair would be proud. It may be a bit weighted on the muckraking side, but we need a counterpoise to the weight of idolatrous literature. However, I cannot fully agree that urban growth depends on a "parasitic", or even an "almost parasitic" relationship with its hinterland, or Brechin's "contado". More balance, please. If trade is beneficial, the benefits are mutual. Cities may foster more concentration of market power, but Jacobs points out (so have many others) that they foster small innovative businesses, too. State legislatures tend to exploit cities to subsidize parts of the contado, e.g. by cross-subsidy in utility rates, and by tax policies. Ag Experiment Station research is bent for big farm landowners. It's a mixed bag. There are saints and villains everywhere. Mason Gaffney