Communities, like individuals, make choices that shape their futures. When those communities succeed, the choices they made are considered the root of their success. Rarely is good planning among them. In "Making Places Special," Gene Bunnell works to correct that, offering a survey of ten exceptional places from tiny Block Island, Rhode Island, to booming San Diego, California where good planning played a critical role in making them special. These stories not only demonstrate the value of good planning in making a successful community but also prove that careful planning can help preserve and strengthen the qualities that make places unique to begin with."