Author Christopher B. Leinberger will discuss a new approach to urban living in The Option of Urbanism:  Investing in a New American Dream at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St. The Downtown Council is a co-sponsor of this insightful program.

The presentation is part of the Library’s What Makes a Great City series.

According to developer and strategist Leinberger, Americans increasingly are voting with their feet to abandon strip malls and suburban sprawl, embracing instead a return to the type of community where they can live, work, shop, and play within easy walking distance.

In The Option of Urbanism Leinberger explains why over the last 60 years government policy has tilted the playing field toward the drivable suburb. Rooted in the powerful forces of the economy – car manufacturing and the oil industry – this type of growth has fostered the decline of community, contributed to urban decay, increased greenhouse gas emissions, and contributed to the rise in obesity and asthma.

Now, Leinberger argues, the American Dream is shifting to include cities as well as suburbs, with demands for the financial and real estate communities to build communities that are more environmentally, socially, and financially sustainable.

Leinberger is a developer, professor, consultant, and author whose work has focused on making progressive development profitable. He is currently a Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution and is director of the Graduate Real Estate Program at the University of Michigan. He is a founding partner of Arcadia Land Company, a progressive real estate development firm, and has written award-winning articles for publications such as The Atlantic Monthly andThe Wall Street Journal.

Admission is free. A 6 p.m. reception precedes the event. RSVP online or call 816.701.3407. Free parking is available at the Library District Parking Garage at 10th & Baltimore.

This event is co-presented by the Mid-America Regional Council and KCPT; co-sponsored by the Downtown Council.