538 Book Reviews

to the eight cities discussed. Arguably, it is not so much the universality of urban growth characteristics or planning issues which forms the content of this book; but rather the capacity of local historical, socio-economic, or political forces to act on typical characteristics in urbanis- ation of archetypal issues in planning.

Patrick Malone School of Architecture, Plymouth Polytechnic, UK

CHRISTOPHER HOWE, Shanghai: Revolution and Development in an Asian Metropolis. Contemporary China Institute Publications, 1981,470 pp.

The eighth in a series on post-Liberation China, this book sets out to show why its authors regard Shanghai as a ‘critical’ city, due to its political significance in pre- and post-evolutionary China. Its portrayal of Shanghai as a catalyst for economic and intellectual change is a vivid one, worthy of a city of paradoxes that has been both the ‘key’ to Western colonial penetration of mah~land China in the past - via its ‘comprador culture’ - and the home of radical intellec- tual movements and innovative economic policy since Liberation.

Although the book was written before the fall of the Gang of Four and the present leader- ship’s espousal of the “New Economic Policy” and “Four Modernisations”, in explaining the past from different perspectives (historical, political, economic, spatial, and cultural- intellectual), the reasons for present policies become somewhat clearer - though not entirely explicable. The one perspective which is covered only implicitly is of course the social. In a book attempting to deal with development as well as revolution, this reflects a serious omission (albeit one that reveals my own developmental preoccupations as a social planner).

It would also have been useful to gain a broader understanding of exactly why Shanghai is an (undoubtedly) unique city, with “special status within China” and a “singular role in China’s history and economy”, by means of comparisons with other major Chinese cities. This will give an additional dimension to the assessment of Shanghai itself. The sections where this has been done --. even minimally, bearing in mind problems of documentation (e.g. Part 4: The Suburban Transformation) give a more holistic and useful background, particularly from a development planning standpoint.

Emma Hooper London School of Economics, UK

BRYN GREEN, Countryside Conservation: The Protection and Management of Amenity Ecosystems. Allen & Unwin, Resource Management Series, 1981.

Rather ruefully, Bryn Green writes in his preface that Countryside Conservation is a develop- ment of a paper he wrote in 1975. The six intervening years have seen the publication of numerous debate-provoking works on the subject of conserving the British countryside and culminated in the parliamentary orgy of the Wildlife and Countryside Bill which was finally enacted in October 198 1.

Many words, statistics and a few tears have been spilt during the great debate and even if, at the end of the day, conservationists believe that little was changed, none can claim that the subject had not been well-aired. Indeed there has been some danger of conservation over- kill. But Bryn Green has produced a book which manages to bring a fresh contribution, not SO

much because what it describes is new information but because it combines conviction with authoritative evidence backed up by years of practical experience. Having been a Regional Officer for the Nature Conservancy, he has been able to assess the situation from his own experience in the field and to speak with the assurance that brings. The individual chapters on the main semi-natural habitats of Britain, their evolution and their management requirements are masterly.

Book Reviews 539

To add to this, his academic background (as a university lecturer) has led him to tackle the philosophical issues: what is conservation? why conserve? who for? The arguments lead him to conclude that “only the moral and aesthetic arguments offer any real basis for a con- servation philosophy”. Thus, the puritanical shackles that lead to the suspicion of pleasure and leisure must be cast aside - or, at least, the fact that they are being so should be recognised. In the past 30 years, this has been manifested in a growing demand for amenity land for recreation and the conservation of wildlife and landscape so that there will be something to enjoy.

Despite this growth in demand, Bryn Green argues, it is these very interests that have been the losers in competition for the land. He sees prospects for equitable multiple-use fading as compatibility between land uses declines. The “gentle iconoclasm” he advocates requires the recognition of the need for designating amenity land, where conservation interests take priority, and to establish amenity land management as an academic discipline in its own right and as an accepted profession. Whether or not one agrees with these conclusions, the arguments devel- oped in the book and the authoritative evidence and discussion make this an important and informative contribution to the debate.

Susan Bell Advisor, Country Landowners Association, UK