Regulating Eden : the nature of order in North American parks / Joe Hermer.

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In order to experience the naturalness and freedom of the parks, we must embrace the very forms of regulation that we closely associate with places we consider to be artificial, restrictive, and alienating.

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CHOICE Review

Designation and zoning, site hardening, regulations, and related restrictions are common management tools for modern parks and public space. These tools collectively constitute a social phenomenon referred by Hermer (Univ. of Toronto, Scarborough, Ontario) as "emparkment." Organized in five chapters, the book is a thoughtful analysis of the nature of emparkment and its role in regulating the order and exploitation of parks and public space. The first two chapters explore the concept and evolution of emparkment and the role park rangers play in fulfilling the emparkment mission. In following chapters, Hermer demonstrates the widespread application of emparkment technologies that represent power through primarily visual means, such as park legislation, the use of signage, regulating space, regulating visitor behavior, and evocation of risk. Hermer concludes with a summary of the emparkment concept and the potential danger of this growing phenomenon. This book fills an important gap in the park and recreation literature, and it will serve well as a supplementary resource for advanced-level undergraduates or graduate students in a variety of disciplines, including park and recreation management, natural resource management, landscape architecture, and geography. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals. Y.-F. Leung North Carolina State University