Fifty years ago, urban waterfronts were industrial, polluted, and
diseased. Today, luxury homes and shops line riverbanks, harbours,
and lakes across Europe and North America. The visual drama of
physical reconstruction makes this transition look swift and
decisive, but reimaging water is a slow process, punctuated by
small cultural shifts and informal spatial seizures that change the
meaning of wet urban spaces. In The Politics of Urban Water,
Kimberley Kinder explores how active residents in Amsterdam
deployed their cityscape when rallying around these concerns,
turning space into a vehicle for social reform. While market
dynamics certainly contributed to the transformation of
Amsterdam’s shorelines, squatters, partiers, artists, historians,
environmentalists, tourists, reporters, and government officials
also played crucial roles in bringing waterscapes to life. Their
interventions pulled water in new directions, connecting it to
political discussions about affordable housing, cultural tolerance,
climate change, and national identity. Over time, these political
valences have become embedded in laws, norms, symbols, markets, and
landscapes, bringing rich undercurrents of friction to urban
shores. Amsterdam’s development serves as both an inspiration and
a cautionary tale for cities across Europe and North America where
rapid new growth creates similar pressures and anxieties.
General
Imprint: |
University of Georgia Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
April 2015 |
Authors: |
Kimberley Kinder
|
Dimensions: |
229 x 152 x 17mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback
|
Pages: |
208 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-8203-4795-0 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
0-8203-4795-7 |
Barcode: |
9780820347950 |
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