Lewis, Peirce. New Orleans: The Making of an Urban Landscape. Cambridge: Ballinger, 1976.
For Lewis, New Orleans is an eccentric and beloved city whose distinctive character has been determined primarily by the geography of the Mississippi River and Delta. The study opens with an extensive discussion of geology which becomes the basis for examining the history of the city. Lewis argues that the challenges of the natural landscape dictated the built form. In turn, the built environment shaped the social and economic conditions of the city. This theme is traced through four stages of development, concluding with conjecture as to the future of New Orleans as the city faces the results of increasing suburbanization which ignores the exigencies of the natural landscape. This study provides a comprehensive look at the relationship between humans, nature and technology and offers a compelling argument for the need to understand the role of geography in shaping an urban cultural landscape. [P. Schwab]