Who decides which stories about a city are remembered? How do interpretations of the past shape a city's present and future? In this book, Andreza Aruska de Souza Santos discusses notions of power and national identity by examining how nation-states negotiate the preservation of urban spaces and how a city interprets, resists, and consents to the functions and meanings that it has inherited and that it reinvents for itself. Looking at the Brazilian city of Ouro Preto, de Souza Santos applies fine-grained ethnography and historical analysis to discuss the limits of Brazil's imagery of social harmony and participatory democracy amid continuous inequality.

This groundbreaking volume brings together scholars from across the globe to discuss the infrastructure, energy, housing, safety and sustainability of African cities, as seen through local narratives of residents. Drawing on a variety of fields and extensive first-hand research, the contributions offer a fresh perspective on some of the most pressing issues confronting urban Africa in the twenty-first century. At a time when the future of the region as a whole will be determined in large part by its cities, the implications of these developments are profound. With case studies from cities in Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, South Africa and Tanzania, this volume explores how the rapid growth of African cities is reconfiguring the relationship between urban social life and its built forms. While the most visible transformations in cities today can be seen as infrastructural, these manifestations are cultural as well as material, reflecting the different ways in which the city is rationalised, economised and governed. How can we 'see like a city' in twenty-first-century Africa, understanding the urban present to shape its future? This is the central question posed throughout this volume, with a practical focus on how academics, local decision makers and international practitioners can collaborate to meet the challenge of rapid growth, environmental pressures and resource gaps. This book is relevant to United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11, Sustainable cities and communities -- .

Urban transformations and public health in the emergent city examines how urban health and wellbeing are shaped by migration, mobility, racism, sanitation and gender. Adopting a global focus that spans Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America, the essays in this volume bring together a wide selection of voices that explore the interface between social, medical and natural sciences. Moving beyond traditional approaches to urban research, this interdisciplinary approach offers a unique perspective on today's cities and the challenges they face. Edited by Michael Keith and Andreza Aruska de Souza Santos, this volume also features contributions from leading thinkers on cities in Brazil, China, South Africa and the United Kingdom. This geographic diversity is matched by the breadth of their different fields, from mental health and gendered violence to sanitation and food systems. Together, they present a complex yet connected vision of a 'new biopolitics' in today's metropolis, one that requires an innovative approach to urban scholarship regardless of geography or discipline. With chapters from a number of renowned authors including former Deputy Mayor of Rio de Janeiro Luiz Eduardo Soares, this volume is an important resource for anyone seeking to better understand the dynamics of urban change. Through a focus on the everyday realities of urban living, from health services to public transportation, the contributors offer valuable lessons for academics, policy makers and practitioners alike. -- .

Using local, national and international perspectives on the meanings and uses of heritage cities, this book explores how a site can turn into a mummification of the past, lifelessly displaying long-gone splendour, or a living, breathing treasure offering dynamic cultural and educational opportunities. Multiple and competing views, needs and desires amongst the different people who use a city are explored alongside notions of power, national identity, race and class in heritage settings. Discussing the case of UNESCO World Heritage town Ouro Preto in Brazil, the author asks how and why democratic participation in heritage fails or succeeds, and how preserved historic cities can still provide quality of life to those living and working there.