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Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Social groups & communities > Urban communities
This book offers a multidisciplinary approach to the medina, the traditional walled Arab city of North Africa. The medina becomes a concrete case study for comparative explorations of general questions about the social use of urban space by opening up fields of research at the intersection of history, comparative cultural studies, architecture and anthropology. Essays by American, European and North African scholars demonstrate a variety of sources and theoretical approaches now being used in writing historical narratives framed within the city space. They shed light on recent studies by anthropologists regarding social praxis within the urban context, and analyze the urban experience of the medina and the casbah as they are represented in visual and material culture.
These volumes combine to provide a comprehensive overview of this key area of applied economics.
Considers such issues as the effect of local government policies on migration, the optimal size of cities, tax and expenditure capitalization, the economics of intergovernmental transfers, tax exporting and tax competition.
Following the crisis of the Special Period, Cuba promoted urban agriculture throughout its towns and cities to address food sovereignty and security. Through the adoption of state recommended design strategies, these gardens have become places of social and economic exchange throughout Cuba. This book maps the lived experiences surrounding three urban farms in Havana to construct a deeper understanding about the everyday life of this city. Using narratives and drawings, this research uncovers these sites as places where education, intimacy, entrepreneurism, wellbeing, and culture are interwoven alongside food production. Henri Lefebvre's latent work on rhythmanalysis is used as a research method to capture the everyday beats particular to Havana surrounding these sites. This book maps the many ways in which these spaces shift power away from the state to become places that are co-created by the community to serve as a crucial hinge point between the ongoing collapse of the city and its future wellbeing.
This book offers original interdisciplinary insights into cities as a diachronic creation of urban art. It engages in a sequence of historical perspectives to examine urban space as an object of apparent quasi-cycles and processes of constitution, exaltation, imitation, contestation and redemption through art. Urban art transforms the city into a human-made sublime which is explored in the context of the Eastern Mediterranean. The book probes this process primarily through the example of Athens and Byzantine Constantinople, but also Jerusalem, Cyprus and regional cities, revealing how urban space unavoidably encompasses a spatial and temporal palimpsest which is constantly emerging. It presents new ideas for both the theorization and sensuous conception of artistic reality, architecture, and planning attributes. These extend from archaic, classical and Byzantine urban splendour to current urban decline as constitution and attack on the sublime and back. Urban processes of contestation and redemption respond recently to the new 'imperialism of debt' and the positivist, technocratic understandings and demands of Euro-governments and neoliberal institutions, while still evoking older forms of spatial power. Offering fresh notions on art, architecture, space, antiquity, (post)-modernity and politics of the region, this book will appeal to scholars and students of geography, urban studies, art, restoration, and film theory, architecture, landscape design, planning, anthropology, sociology and history.
This book critically engages with the contemporary challenges and opportunities of wild cities in a climate of change. A key focus of the book is exploring the nexus of possibilities for wild cities and the eco-ethical imagination needed to drive sustainable and resilient urban pathways. Many now have serious doubts about the prospects for humanity to live within cities that are socially just and responsive to planetary limits. Is it possible for planning to better serve, protect and nurture our human and non-human worlds? This book argues it is. Drawing on international literature and Australian case examples, this book explores issues around climate change, colonization, urban (in)security and the rights to the city for both humans and nature. It is within this context that this book focuses on the urgent need to better understand how contemporary cities have changed, and the relational role of planning within it. Planning Wild Cities will be of particular interest to students and scholars of planning, urban studies, and sustainable development, and for all those invested in re-shaping our 'wild' city futures.
Containing some of the most recent and original studies on parking regulation and management from different disciplines, this book offers rigorous analysis from top researchers with a clear intention to deliver policy implications and provide information to the public. The book is organized according to a variety of key topics. Among others, it covers the interaction of parking with other modes of transportation and its demand, its pricing and external effects, the role of information and digitalization, and the effects of regulation and its enforcement. Also, it includes the views of practitioners, who discuss present parking in cities and the future of its management. Written primarily for scholars interested in transportation, mobility, planning and urban affairs, this book is also directly relevant to practitioners and policymakers in government with responsibilities in mobility. Additionally, the book will be of interest to the private sector as it offers a practical link between rigorous academic analyses and the needs of practitioners.
Elgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences and law, expertly written by the world's leading scholars. Designed to be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject areas. In this Advanced Introduction to Social Innovation, Frank Moulaert and Diana MacCallum present a pioneering exploration of the relatively young field of 'social innovation'. Delving into the history of innovation, from the 17th century to the present day, the authors investigate the modern preeminence of social innovation in scientific and policy debates, public policy, and collective action in many social spheres. Identifying a range of socio-political and ideological stances, from 'caring' liberalism to inclusivity and sustainability, this Advanced Introduction not only provides a compelling reflective survey of social innovation thought and practice, but also offers perspectives on what social innovation is, and what it should be. Concise and perceptive, this timely introduction will serve as an excellent resource for students and scholars of social innovation. Moulaert and MacCallum's insight into the explosion of social innovation in the 21st century will also offer practitioners a valuable guide for navigating socially innovative actions and processes.
This book provides examples and suggestions for readers to understand how public investment decisions for sustainable infrastructure are made. Through detailed analysis of public investment in infrastructure over the last few decades in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Finland, the author explores how the decision-making processes for major public works spending, many of them requiring quite rigorous and detailed computational methodologies, can result in plans that underserve large portions of the population, are inequitable, and fail to efficiently preserve public property. Beginning with some of the commonly offered explanations for the slow pace of investment and repair in a supposedly prosperous society facing serious environmental challenges, the book then explores media's role in shaping the public-at-large's understanding of the situation and the unimaginative solutions put forward by politicians. It continues with some case studies of infrastructure investment, or lack thereof, including an exploration of competing uses for government funds. It concludes with some suggestions. It is aimed at a large readership of professionals, students, and policy makers in political science, urban planning, and civil engineering.
This anthology synthesises a wealth of published research to provide students of the city with a comprehensive and accessible introduction to the key concepts and themes in contemporary urban studies. This collection comprises over 130 seminal readings accompanied by embedded references to guide further study. The readings have been selected from an international range of academic and professional journals. They include some of the most influential classic writings on the city as well as more recent research that contributes significantly to our understanding of the contemporary city. In addition to its global perspective, the anthology is based on a cross-disciplinary approach, drawing on the best scholarship to illuminate the complex nature of the city. Research has been incorporated from fields as diverse as geography, economics, planning, sociology, politics, psychology, architecture, history and archaeology to provide an essential collection of readings on The City.
This text is a clear and thorough introduction to political philosophy and political thought. Each chapter begins with a brief overview of a major political thinker and clearly introduces one or more of their most influential works. The reader is then introduced to key secondary readings, aiming to complement and further their understanding of the thinker and text in question. Key features of the book also include clear exercises, reading notes and guides for further reading. The book is structured around eight major works including Machiavelli's "The Prince"; Hobbes - "Leviathan"; Locke- "The Second Treatise of Government"; Rousseau - "The Social Contract"; " Two Concepts of Liberty' by Isaiah Berlin'; Marx and Engels - "The German Ideology (Part 1)"; and Mill - "On Liberty". This text provides students with the skills necessary to understand the main thinkers, texts and arguments of political philosophy. It requires no previous knowledge of philosophy or politics and is suitable to anyone coming to political philosophy and political thought for the first time.
This book consists of a single essay that speculates on the question what is housing?, and its opposite question, what is not housing? The essay is organised around two distinct discourses around which housing can be framed. The first, which is the dominant discourse, is what I term policy thinking. This is where housing is seen solely in terms of policy formulation and action. The second discourse is private dwelling, which describes housing in terms of a private space used by households. Private dwelling might be seen as a product of policy, but, in actuality, it precedes policy thinking in being the very purpose of policy. Having made this distinction between policy thinking and private dwelling, and so stated in principle what housing is, the subsequent sections of the essay explore the nature of private dwelling in more detail and so substantiate the distinction between the two forms of discourse.
In this book the authors examine in depth the lives of inner-city
adolescent mothers, going beyond stereotypes to illuminate the
diverse pathways to young adulthood taken by these young women. The
different ways they respond to becoming a parent reflect a range of
abilities, aspirations, and supports. Their often-creative
solutions to living in poverty, the intensity of their desires to
make their children's lives better, the height of their youthful
ambition when they succeed, and the depth of their pain when they
fail, all show a surprising range. The authors argue that
adolescent mothers who enter young adulthood with the skills and
desires to care for themselves and their children are "not" the
resilient few and present a lengthy analysis of the
multidimensional processes that lead to and characterize this
resilience.
For investors from across the world, UK residential property is seen as one of the best investments available. This is for good reason. It has a track record of delivering strong, stable returns in a way that is relatively easy to understand and implement. The trouble is, the market has changed. The investors of the future value sustainability more than ever before. There is unprecedented and growing demand for Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) investing, now worth $30 trillion in Assets Under Management each year, around a quarter of all professionally managed assets. The traditional goal of profit maximisation is being replaced. Investments must increasingly be profitable as well as sustainable: economically resilient with positive ESG metrics. Yet the UK residential property market - worth over GBP7.5 trillion - is lagging behind. There is very little clear, easily usable guidance for those responsible for a huge proportion of the market: private investors. The positive impacts of sustainable property investing - for profit-motivated investors, people and the planet - could be huge. The financial, environmental and social costs of getting it wrong could be catastrophic. To get this right and to avoid the risks of getting it wrong, it is vital to understand: * What sustainable residential property investing is * What needs to change and * How, on a practical level, you can invest in a way that is both profitable and sustainable. This book draws on expertise from within and beyond real estate, provides a simple framework for updating your approach. It highlights common mistakes and shares advice so that you can avoid them. Ultimately, it's about answering the question of the decade: 'How can I invest profitably with positive impacts?'
Redesigning the Unremarkable is a timely and necessary reminder that the often neglected elements and spaces of our built environment - from trash bins, seats, stairways, and fences to streets, bikeways, underpasses, parking lots, and shopping centers - must be thoughtfully redesigned to enhance human and planetary health. Using the lens of sustainable, salutogenic, and playable design, in this inspiring book, Miller and Cushing explore the challenges, opportunities, and importance of redesigning the unremarkable. Drawing on global research, theory, practical case studies, photographs, and personal experiences, Redesigning the Unremarkable is a vital text - a doer's guide - for researchers, policymakers and practitioners wanting to transform and positively reimagine our urban environment.
Analysing the evolution of Lahore's social organization, culture and ideologies since Pakistan's independence in 1947, this book explores how social and cultural changes affect social economy, spatial structure and the urban environment. It uncovers the internal dynamics and functional order of the city that sustain everyday life, despite its challenges and seemingly disorderly institutions. The book offers a strategic vision for the city's development that emphasises equitable policies for public utilities and the built environment. In addition, the author proposes a complementary programme for social development and civic ethos. This book will be a valuable resource for academics and students in the fields of urban planning, geography, urban studies, sociology and those interested in the urbanism of the global south, particularly Pakistan.
The 'smart city' is often promoted as a technology-driven solution to complex urban issues. While commentators are increasingly critical of techno-optimistic narratives, the political imagination is dominated by claims that technical solutions can be uniformly applied to intractable problems. This book provides a much-needed alternative view, exploring how 'home-grown' digital disruption, driven and initiated by local actors, upends the mainstream corporate narrative. Drawing on original research conducted in a range of urban African settings, Odendaal shows how these initiatives can lead to meaningful change. This is a valuable resource for scholars working in the intersection of science and technology studies, urban and economic geography and sociology.
This book provides the first in-depth, multidisciplinary study of re-urbanization in Russia's Arctic regions, with a specific focus on new mobility patterns, and the resulting birth of new urban Arctic identities in which newcomers and labor migrants form a rising part of. It is an invaluable reference for all those interested in current trends in circumpolar regions, showing how the Arctic region is becoming more diverse culturally, but also more integrated into globalized trends in terms of economic development, urban sustainability and migration.
Biodesign in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Deep Green investigates the potential of nature based technology for shaping the evolution of contemporary architecture and design. It takes on the now pervasive topic of design intelligence, extending its definition to encompass both biological and digital realms. As in their first title, Systemic Architecture: Operating Manual for the Self Organizing City, the authors engage the topic through the specific lens of their innovative design practice, ecoLogicStudio and their research at the University of Innsbruck and at the Bartlett, UCL. Part One of the book, entitled PhotoSynthetica (TM), illustrates design solutions that engage the urban microbiome and seek to achieve an immediate impact, while Part Two, entitled Deep Green, includes synthetic landscapes and operates within a much larger spatio-temporal frame, going beyond human perception and life span to envision design as a geographical and geological force. In the age of catastrophic climate change, such perceptual expansion helps to clarify that change cannot simply be stopped or rolled back. We must instead establish more positive dynamics of change within the living world. To this end, this book proposes to engage with design and architecture as an extended cognitive interface, a sentient being that is co-evolutionary and symbiotic with the living planet, contributing to its beauty and to our continued enjoyment of it. |
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