In Print

“Right Before Your Eyes” by Grady Clay is a collection of some new, some old essays by a venerable journalist exploring the cities, suburbs, towns and landscapes of America.

As indicated by the subtitle, “Penetrating the Urban Environment,” Clay, in engagingly direct terms free of jargon (but not free of a bit of self-indulgence), offers a fresh perspective on why things look the way they do and how they perhaps can be improved.

The paperback by the former editor of “Landscape Architecture” and the urban affairs editor of the Louisville Courier-Journal is a pricey $24.95 and available through the American Planning Assn. Press, 1313 E. 60th St., Chicago, Ill. 60637.