Alfred J. Lima is a professional planner who has practiced for municipalities and as the principal of his own planning consulting firm. His interest in preserving community character has evolved from his years of experience in general planning, open space protection and historic preservation. He has always been interested in the issue of why some communities seem able to preserve their character and others do not and decided to write this book to answer that question. His professional experience—and the lessons he learned as a community activist—gives him a unique perspective on how citizens can make government work to preserve communities.