In Changing Places, Richard Moe and Carter Wilkie explore how America's historic communities are confronting sprawl: fragile towns throughout New England and the Midwest are defending themselves from corporate giants like Wal-Mart stores; community activists are building pride and hope in distressed neighborhoods in Pittsburgh and New Orleans by using preservation as a tool for revitalization; and, in the same way, cities such as Denver, Memphis, and Portland, Oregon, are breathing life back into their historic downtowns.