In less than a century, the American West has changed from a predominantly rural region to one where most people live in its major metropolitan centers. Cities and Nature in the American West offers provocative analyses of this transformation, providing a deeper understanding of the complex processes by which the urban West has shaped and been shaped by its sustaining environment. The book considers how the West's urban development has altered the human experience and perception of nature; the politics of land and water use; and the challenges of environmental inequities. It also examines the cultural role of wilderness and the increasingly pervasive power of the West's urban areas and urbanites to redefine the very foundations and future of the American West. Book jacket.