Ranches, Rowhouses, and Railroad Flats is a delightfully illustrated and readable introduction to the evolution of America's housing forms and the ways that they shape -- and limit -- the neighborhoods around them. Architect Christine Hunter describes the three possible forms of housing -- freestanding houses, attached houses, and apartments (often neglected in architectural literature). With vivid diagrams and sketches, she explains the inherent geometric and environmental qualities of each form and shows the rich variety of shapes they have taken, including colonial salt-boxes, mobile homes, bungalow courts, suburban tracts, townhouses, tenements, and luxury towers. She discusses the practical impact of each form on land consumption, access to jobs and shopping, transportation options, and energy use. Ranches, Rowhouses and Railroad Flats provides those interested in architecture, community planning, and the environmental sciences a framework for understanding what is fundamental and what is possible as each discipline addresses Americans' need for comfortable, attractive shelter and a sustainable society. - Jacket flap.