This textbook of essays by leading critical urbanists is a compelling introduction to an important field of study; it interrogates contemporary conflicts and contradictions inherent in the social experience of living in cities that are undergoing neoliberal restructuring, and grapples with profound questions and challenging policy considerations about diversity, equity, and justice. A stimulant to debate in any undergraduate urban studies classroom, this book will inspire a new generation of urban social scholars.
- Alison Bain, York University
"Stages a lively encounter with different understandings of urban production and experience, and does so by bringing together an exciting group of scholars working across a diversity of theoretical and geographical contexts. The book focuses on some of the central conceptual and political challenges of contemporary cities, including inequality and poverty, justice and democracy, and everyday life and urban imaginaries, providing a critical platform through which to ask how we might work towards alternative forms of urban living."
- Colin McFarlane Durham University
What is the city? What is the nature of living in the city? This new textbook provides students with an in-depth understanding of the central issues associated with the city and how living in a city impacts its inhabitants.
Theoretically informed and thematically rich, the book is edited by leading scholars in the field and contains an eminent, international cast of contributors and contributions. It provides a critical analysis of the key thinkers, themes and paradigms dealing with the relationship between the built environment and urban life. It includes illustrative case studies, questions for discussion, further reading and web links.
Examining the contradictions, conflicts and complexities of city living, the book is an essential resource for students looking to get to grip with the different theoretical and substantive approaches that make up the diverse and rich study of the city and urban life.
Industry Reviews
'This textbook of essays by leading critical urbanists is a compelling introduction to an important field of study; it interrogates contemporary conflicts and contradictions inherent in the social experience of living in cities that are undergoing neoliberal restructuring, and grapples with profound questions and challenging policy considerations about diversity, equity, and justice. A stimulant to debate in any undergraduate urban studies classroom, this book will inspire a new generation of urban social scholars.' -- Alison Bain 'An indispensable survey of the main themes and challenges facing humanity in the urban age. Compulsory reading.' -- Brendan Gleeson 'This book is an invaluable resource for urban social geographers. It stages a lively encounter with different understandings of urban production and experience, and does so by bringing together an exciting group of scholars working across a diversity of theoretical and geographical contexts. The book focuses on some of the central conceptual and political challenges of contemporary cities, including inequality and poverty, justice and democracy, and everyday life and urban imaginaries, providing a critical platform through which to ask how we might work towards alternative forms of urban living'. -- Colin McFarlane Cities and Social Change makes a valuable contribution to the scholarship on contemporary cities. It draws together an interesting collection of papers that examine how cities are experienced and understood by their inhabitants with the result an engaging and useful collection. This edited book presents a series of thoughtful examinations of 'life in the city' that range in scale and perspective - from the individual and sensory to the global and systemic. The chapters cover a number of the major approaches to thinking about the politics of urban space. The book should prove useful for undergraduates and early postgraduates,with enough overlap in the chapter subjects so as not to overwhelm readers new to the material. Lecturers and tutors will find it helpful in courses on urban studies, and scholars new to the field will appreciate its breadth. -- Shanti Sumartojo, RMIT University Australia
