Selected Reviews

"Troy...gives us a sure-handed, cogent treatment of urban challenges, focusing on 'urban energy metabolism' — a city's pattern of energy use determined by its location, culture, history and size. Most US cities need massive energy inputs per capita compared with many of their European, Chinese or developing-world counterparts. The price they pay is a vulnerability to scarcity, rising costs and environmental decay. Troy traces energy use through water consumption, transport, construction, the heating and cooling of homes, and the creation of workable communities, and includes sidebars on energy choices from renewables, natural gas and coal to nuclear power, oil and biofuels."

-David Orr, Nature (journal)

 

"Just like its namesake, this book is a highly enjoyable and easy read that is perfectly pitched at its target audience...If the aim of this book was to provide planners in the US with a firm
but gentle push in the right direction, then it has clearly achieved that goal, but more importantly the accessibility of his writing should guarantee that his ideas will inform
and empower a much wider audience. For that reason alone we need more books like this."

-Keith Baker, Urban Studies Journal

 

"[A] well written book...Austin Troy’s [sic] A Very Hungry City is an example of good scholarship made available to the general public. Academics, college students, and private individuals could all benefit from the ideas and themes presented."

Brian Baskervill, The Journal of Urban Affairs

 

"Troy...writes with great clarity. As a result, The Very Hungry City is a penetrating examination of what's happening to the availability of oil, natural gas, solar and wind power, and other forms of energy--and what this means for cities.....This book is full of interesting, independent-minded
observations"

-Philip Langdon, Better! Cities and Towns (formerly New Urban News)

 

"The author’s obvious passion for urban energy efficiency and his straightforward and conversational writing style makes a somewhat dry topic truly fascinating."

-The Global Journal

 

"Troy....provides some fascinating background on topics such as how the advent of air conditioning in the 1950s precipitated migration to the sunblet cities and the dependency of Phoenix and Los Angeles on power to pump in their water supplies."

-The Architect's Journal

 

"The Very Hungry City is an accessible book for policy-makers and those who are interested to learn more on the topic of energy consumption by cities."

Caroline J. Uittenbroek, Urban Reserach and Practice

 

"This book is a thought provoking read. Our future may be bright but we must accept what is in store for us."

-The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat,

 

Editor's Pick, "Highly recommended"

-Choice Reviews Online (American Library Association)

 

Also covered in: The American Interest, Civil Engineering, Landscape Architecture Magazine, and Earth Magazine

 

 

Available on Amazon in paperback, hardcover and Kindle

Spin-off Magazine Articles 

"Can America Embrace Biking the Way Denmark Has? Slate, Nov  1. 2012

 

"Thirsty City". Places Magazine/Design Observer, Jan. 23, 2012

 

"Will Energy-Efficiency be the New Competitive Advantage for Cities?" The European Financial Review, Dec 14, 2011.

Interviews 

June 6, 2013: The Enviro Show, South African Public Radio. Archive audio (approx 15 minutes)

April 10, 2012: KPCC Los Angeles. Patt Morrison Show. Archive audio (20 minutes)

March 29, 2012: WYPR Baltimore. Midday with Dan Rodricks. Achive audio (1 hour)

January 31, 2012: Where We Live show. Connecticut Public Radio. Archive audio (1 hour)

January 31, 2012: "The Thirty" on WCAX TV. Archive video. (10 minutes)

January 30, 2012: radio interview on the nationally syndicated George Jarkesy Show. Archive audio (20 minutes)

January 8, 2012: Burlington Free Press article by Tim Johnson

January 11, 2012: interview on Vermont Public Radio's "Vermont Edition." Archive audio (1 hour)