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Books > Earth & environment > Regional & area planning > Urban & municipal planning
The Politics of Joint University and Community Housing Development: Cambridge, Boston, and Beyond informs and encourages the understanding and creation of community/university housing. It reveals the political and technical dynamics of joint housing development involving both communities and universities. Community/university housing projects have been built in several cities and planned in others. Since Cambridge, Masschusetts, home of Harvard and MIT, contains outstanding examples of community/university housing, the book focuses on the projects there since the 1960s. It also discusses a major project in Mission Hill near Harvard Medical School in Boston, along with brief examinations of a number of other projects. Through the Cambridge and Boston cases, the author explores the historical, political, and economic reasons for developing community housing. There, residents asked the universities to help solve the city housing problems to which the institutions had contributed. Since community housing involved a process, as well as a result in describing how the housing was built, the book focuses on the role of community participation in the development process. The study contributes to the understanding of the issues in several ways. First, two people well acquainted with community/university housing and politics introduce the study with introductory forewords. Second, the study provides details of the development process that will be useful to other community/university groups. Third, it explores university responsibility, rhetoric versus reality, and the educational values of community housing participation. Fourth, it provides ideas, methods, models and assurances that new things can be done, because they have been done. Finally, the lessons and suggestions provide insights and inspiration for others. This study will be particularly helpful for other cities and university/communities encountering housing problems. The features and information here will interest a wide range of community, university, and other urban groups. The issues discussed will become increasingly relevant as more people move into attractive areas near universities. It is also pertinent to institutions like hospitals that also have community and housing problems, and to civic groups that can help solve a range of housing problems. This book explains the politics of community/university housing development in ways that encourage others to address and solve similar problems.
This book examines changes and transitions in the way water is managed in urban environments. This book originated from a joint French-Australian initiative on water and land management held in Montpellier, France. The book delivers practical insights into urban water management. It links scientific insights of researchers with the practical experiences of urban water practitioners to understand and respond to key trends in how urban water is supplied, treated and consumed. The 51 contributors to the volume provide a range of insights, case studies, summaries and analyses of urban water and from a global perspective. The first section on water supply and sanitation includes case studies from Zimbabwe, France and South Africa, among others. Water demand and water economics are addressed in the second section of the book, with chapters on long-term water demand forecasting, the social determinants of water consumption in Australian cities, a study of water quality and consumption in France, governance and regulation of the urban water sector and more. The third section explores water governance and integrated management, with chapters on water management in Quebec, in the Rotterdam-Rijnmond urban area, in Singapore and in Australia. The final section offers perspectives on challenges and future uncertainties for urban water systems in transition. Collectively, the diverse insights provide an important step forward in response to the challenges of sustainably delivering water safely, efficiently and equitably.
Originally published in 1990 and drawing on extensive research, this book provides an evaluation of the impact of the growth of home ownership in the UK, and of the claims and counter-claims made for its social significance. The book examines critically the evidence for and against the proposition that mass home ownership is contributing towards a more equal society. Wide-ranging in its coverage, the book discusses the changing nature and role of home ownership, wealth accumulation and housing, the relationship between social class and housing tenure, and policy development.
Originally published in 1966 and written at a time when UK housing policy was undergoing major changes, this volume provides a substantial historical introduction which outlines the development of housing policy in the UK from the mid 19th - mid 20th Centuries. Discussion of the administrative framework, the powers of local housing authorities, housing standards, finance and the improvement of older housing follows. Other issues covered include the social aspects of housing and the role of the state and the objectives of state action.
Originally published in 1986, this book provides an authoritative summary of late 20th Century trends which affected housing stock and a comprehensive commentary on policies which were designed to improve housing stock. The policies referred to are specific to England and Wales but the experience is relevant to other countries facing similar trends: a growth in owner-occupation, increasing problems of disrepair and low levels of investment in the housing stock. It will be on interest to those concerned with levels of investment in older urban areas, with the impact of subsidies on housing tenure, and with the role of government in controlling housing quality.
Originally published in 1996 Rural Change and Planning describes the turbulent changes that have occurred in rural England and Wales since the outbreak of the First World War. The book describes the changes from an agriculturally-dominated countryside to one which has had to increasingly adapt to urban pressures. Looking at the changes chronologically, the book provides an integrated history of rural planning in the twentieth century and the developments which have taken place within the State, which has facilitated those changes. The book looks at the social and economic impacts of two world wars on agricultural communities, and the pressures of industry, new settlements and the effects of recreation on rural landscapes.
The ideas of Henri Lefebvre on the production of urban space have become increasingly useful for understanding worldwide post-industrial city transformation. This important book uses new international comparative research to engage critically with Lefebvre's spatial theories and challenge recent thinking about the nature of urban space. Meticulous research in Vancouver, Lowell MA and Manchester, England, explains how urban public spaces, including differential space, are contested and socially produced. Spatial coalitions, counter-representations and counterprojects are seen as vital elements in such processes. The book contributes critically to the post-industrial city comparative analysis literature. It provides an accessible guide for those who care about cities, public space, city planning and urban policy. This interdisciplinary book will be of interest to academics, researchers and postgraduate students in the fields of urban: geography, planning, policy, politics, regeneration and sociology. It will also be relevant for politicians, policy makers and urban activists.
Originally published in 1985, this book analyses the development of private rented housing in Britain, France, the former West Germany, the Netherlands and the USA. The book shows that the changing fortunes of the private rented sector are seen in some measure to be connected with the social, economic and political conditions which surrounded the rapid industrialisation and urbanisation of the 19th Century.
Originally published in 1961, is the report into an investigation of the forms of organization used by local authorities of many varied types, populations and areas for the design and erection of new buildings and the maintenance of existing ones. It discusses the relations between Government departments and local authorities in the control of building design, standards and costs and the part played by Council committees in the control of building operations; it examines the division of functions between Chief Officers responsible for different aspects of building work (architects, engineers, surveyors and housing managers) and studies the use made of private architects and surveyors as well as the scope and organization of direct labour in local authority building.
Originally published in 1987 and now re-issued with a new preface, this book examines attempts by successive individuals and governments to overcome slum conditions and homelessness, to reform landlord-tenant relations and to provide sound modern dwellings with full amenities for those who need them. Its focus is on how those responsible for public housing concentrated their energies on buildings rather than management, on property rather than people, in sharp distinction to the women who played such an innovative and humanizing role in the early days of housing reform. Efforts to resolve public housing problems are examined in a study of twenty housing estates, and of the initiatives that local authorities have taken to reverse the sometimes overwhelming decay.
Originally published in 1994, this book provides an important contribution to contemporary housing debates as well as clear examples of the use of qualitative data in causal analysis. Based on 3 original Australian case studies and a range of international data, this book demonstrates that the interests and meanings of home ownership can lead home owners into radical courses of social action that oppose the status quo, despite national governments having sponsored a remarkable growth in home ownership to promote a loyal citizenship and political stability.
Originally published in 1976, this book highlights the problems faced by many inner-city working class communities in 1970s Britain, with particular reference to the Gairbraid housing clearance area of Maryhill, Glasgow. It examines the policy of local authority re-housing. Both the policy and practice of re-housing is carefully analysed and the efficacy of community action illustrated and discussed.
Originally published in 1982, this is a companion volume to State Housing in Britain. Together the 2 volumes cover the tenure of some 85% of all British households in much of the 20th Century. The development of the tenure between 1918 and 1970 with special reference to its position in state housing policies is examined. Subsequent chapters analyse effective demand since 1970, both with respect to its demographic base and as regards the capacity to buy. In particular the question of why people want to buy is asked and the supply of housing (both council houses and former private rented accommodation) as well as the output of speculative housebuilders is considered. A detailed survey of the perturbations in the housing market during the volatile experience of the British economy since 1970 is also covered.
For decades, neighbourhoods been pivotal sites of social, economic and political exclusion processes, and civil society initiatives, attempting bottom-up strategies of re-development and regeneration. In many cases these efforts resulted in the creation of socially innovative organizations, seeking to satisfy the basic human needs of deprived population groups, to increase their political capabilities and to improve social interaction both internally and between the local communities, the wider urban society and political world. SINGOCOM - Social INnovation GOvernance and COMmunity building - is the acronym of the EU-funded project on which this book is based. Sixteen case studies of socially-innovative initiatives at the neighbourhood level were carried out in nine European cities, of which ten are analysed in depth and presented here. The book compares these efforts and their results, and shows how grass-roots initiatives, alternative local movements and self-organizing urban collectives are reshaping the urban scene in dynamic, creative, innovative and empowering ways. It argues that such grass-roots initiatives are vital for generating a socially cohesive urban condition that exists alongside the official state-organized forms of urban governance. The book is thus a major contribution to socio-political literature, as it seeks to overcome the duality between community-development studies and strategies, and the solidarity-based making of a diverse society based upon the recognising and maintaining of citizenship rights. It will be of particular interest to both students and researchers in the fields of urban studies, social geography and political science.
This book provides insights on skills required to achieve success in smart cities from a variety of industry and human factors perspectives. It emphasizes the balance between learning skills, technical skills, and domain-specific skills in these industries, with special emphasis given to innovative software development models. The authors note that digital transformation requires complementary measures that are not overtly aimed to support infrastructure investment but are instead directed at promoting entrepreneurship, improving digital skills, engaging citizens, applying new transformation strategies, and developing innovative software. All of the above are considered strategically important, especially for medium-sized cities since that enable them to be more competitive in the global economy.
Big Data, Code and the Discrete City explores how digital technologies are gradually changing the way in which the public space is designed by architects, managed by policymakers and experienced by individuals. Smart city technologies are superseding the traditional human experience that has characterised the making of the public space until today. This book examines how computers see the public space and the effect of algorithms, artificial intelligences and automated processes on the human experience in public spaces. Divided into three parts, the first part of this book examines the notion of discreteness in its origins and applications to computer sciences. The second section presents a dual perspective: it explores the ways in which public spaces are constructed by the computer-driven logic and then translated into control mechanisms, design strategies and software-aided design. This perspective also describes the way in which individuals perceive this new public space, through its digital logic, and discrete mechanisms (from Wi-Fi coverage to self-tracking). Finally, in the third part, this book scrutinises the discrete logic with which computers operate, and how this is permeating into aspects of city life. This book is valuable for anyone interested in urban studies and digital technologies, and more specifically in big data, urban informatics and public space.
Open Architecture for the People explores Japanese architecture and the three different phases of development between the years 1950 and 2018. Changing ways of life through differing generations have caused fluctuations in the building industry. This book demonstrates how each generation's expectations have resulted in discernible eras in architecture which can be examined collectively as well as in isolation. For example, the sudden increase in productivity from 1950 brought about by the Industrial Revolution flowed to the production of buildings and homes and designs were influenced by modern ideas. With over thirty black and white images to illustrate the changes, Matsumura brings to light architectural developments that have previously been confined to Japanese speaking academics. In doing so, the book broadens the scope for further architectural examinations internationally. It would be ideal for academics, students and professionals within the areas of architecture and urban planning, particularly those with an interest in Japanese architecture.
Rapid urbanization in China in recent decades and the challenges of social and regional integration and governance have been issues of major concern. This book explores the course of urbanization and development in China over recent decades. It considers a range of issues including urbanization, changing urban and regional systems, regional integration and governance. The book pays particular attention to the economic relations between Hong Kong and mainland China and how regional development, integration and governance unfold in the Hong Kong-Pearl River Delta region.
Securing Urban Heritage considers the impact of securitization on access to urban heritage sites. Demonstrating that symbolic spaces such as these have increasingly become the location of choice for the practice and performance of contemporary politics in the last decade, the book shows how this has led to the securitization of urban public space. Highlighting specific changes that have been made, such as the installation of closed-circuit television or the limitation of access to certain streets, plazas and buildings, the book analyses the impact of different approaches to securitization. Claiming that access to heritage sites is a precursor to an informed and thorough understanding of heritage, the editors and contributors to this volume argue that new forms of securing urban heritage, including community involvement and digitalization, offer possibilities for the protection and use of urban heritage. Looking more closely at the versatile relationship between access and securitization in this context, the book provides a theoretical framework for the relationship between urban heritage and securitization. Comparing case studies from cities in Angola, Bulgaria, Eritrea, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Mexico, Norway, Russia, Suriname, Sweden, Turkey, UK, and the US, the book reveals some of the key mechanisms that are used to regulate access to heritage sites around the world. Providing much-needed insight into the diverse challenges of securitization for access and urban heritage, Securing Urban Heritage should be essential reading for academics, students, and practitioners from the fields of heritage and urban studies, architecture, art history, conservation, urban planning, and urban geography.
Night is a foundational element of human and animal life on earth, but its interaction with the social world has undergone significant transformations during the era of globalization. As the economic activity of the 'daytime' city has advanced into the night, other uses of the night as a time for play, for sleep or for escaping oppression have come increasingly under threat. This book looks at the relationship between night and society in contemporary cities. It identifies that while theories of 'planetary urbanization' have traced the spatial spread of urban forms, the temporal expansion of urban capitalism has been less well mapped. It argues that, as a key part of planetary being, understanding what goes on at night in cities can add nuance to debates on planetary urbanization. A series of practices and spaces that we encounter in the night-time city are explored. These include: the maintenance and repair of infrastructure; the aesthetics of the urban night; nightlife and the night-time economy; the home at night; and the ecologies of the urban night. Taking these forward the book will ask whether the night can reveal some of the boundaries to what we call 'the urban' in a world of cities, and will call for a revitalized and enhanced 'nightology' to study these limits.
Understanding Soils in Urban Environments is a concise book explaining how urban soils develop, change and erode. Soils provide the foundation for buildings and infrastructure, and the medium for plant growth in fields, parks and gardens. They can act as a sink for waste, and can be contaminated in urban areas by heavy metals, organic chemicals and other contaminants. Soil properties such as water retention, salinity and acidity can cause environmental and structural problems for buildings and other engineering works. This text recognises and draws attention to the particular nature of soils in urban environments and discusses their distinctive management needs. Since the first edition was published in 2011, it has been used across a wide range of disciplines, many of which require an understanding of urban soil and specific soil properties that cause environmental concern. Urban soils are now recognised as much more important now than they were ten years ago, when they were seen as a poor relation to agriculture. The need for better understanding of all aspects of this topic has become evident especially at conferences in the last 5 years in Australia and internationally, where urban soils are now included as specific sections, not just as subsets such as contamination. This new edition updates and expands on the original text, including a specific chapter on the use of manufactured soil for rehabilitation and recreation, and additional case studies in other chapters, particularly contamination. The text is updated throughout to address the increasing importance of soil health for seed banks and parklands, and its implications for planning developments, the legal determination of bioregions, and addressing environmental issues that can arise from mismanagement of urban soils.
This original book builds on the author's research in Phoenix cities to present a vivid story of Europe's post-industrial cities pre- and post- financial crisis. The book compares changes between Northern and Southern European countries, bigger and smaller cities, to present a compelling framework showing how Europe's cities are striving to combat environmental and social unravelling.
This book examines the skyline as a space for radical urban politics. Focusing on the relationship between aesthetics and politics in London's tall-building boom, it develops a critique of the construction of more and more speculative towers as well as a critique of the claim that these buildings ruin the historic cityscape. Gassner argues that the new London skyline needs to be ruined instead and explores ruination as a political appropriation of the commodified and financialised cityscape. Aimed at academics and students in the fields of architecture, urban design, politics, urban geography, and sociology, Ruined Skylines engages with the work of Walter Benjamin and other critical and political theorists. It examines accounts of sometimes rebellious and often conservative groupings, including the City Beautiful movement, the English Townscape movement, and the Royal Fine Art Commission, and discusses tower developments in the City of London - 110 Bishopsgate, the Pinnacle, 22 Bishopsgate, 1 Undershaft, 122 Leadenhall, and 20 Fenchurch - in order to make a case for reanimating urban politics as an art of the possible.
Bordered Cities and Divided Societies is a provocative, moving, and poetic encounter with the hearts and minds of individuals living in nine cities of conflict, violence, and healing-Jerusalem, Belfast, Johannesburg, Nicosia, Sarajevo, Mostar, Barcelona, Bilbao, and Beirut. Based on research spanning 25 years, including 360 interviews and over two and a half years of in-country field research, this innovative work employs a series of concise reflective narrative essays, grouped into four thematic sections, to provide a humanistic, "on-the-ground" understanding of divided cities, conflict, and peacemaking. Incorporating both scholarly analyses based on empirical research and introspective essays, Bollens digs underneath grand narratives of conflict to illuminate the complexities and paradoxes of living amid nationalistic political strife and the challenges of planning and policymaking in divided societies. Richly illustrated, the book includes informative synopses about the cities that provide access for general readers while extensive connections to recent literature enhance the book's research value to scholars.
Originally published in 1993, this book traces how governments in France, Germany, Britain, Denmark and Ireland became involved in replacing industrial revolution urban slums with mass high-rise, high-density concrete estates. As the book considers each country's housing history and traditions, and analyses the contrasting structures and systems, it finds convergence of problems in the growing tensions of their most disadvantaged communities. The book underlines the continuing drift towards deeper polarization, an issue which has become ever more important in the multi-lingual, ethnically diverse urban societies of the 21st Century. The book's detailed coverage of the historical, political and social changes relating to housing within the various countries make it an important text for students and practitioners concerned with housing, urban affairs, social policy and administration. |
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