How Cities Matter

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How Cities Matter

Author : Richard Harris
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 165 pages
File Size : 48,6 Mb
Release : 2021-08-12
Category : History
ISBN : 9781108786645

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How Cities Matter by Richard Harris Pdf

Most historians and social scientists treat cities as mere settings. In fact, urban places shape our experience. There, daily life has a faster, artificial rhythm and, for good and ill, people and agencies affect each other through externalities (uncompensated effects) whose impact is inherently geographical. In economic terms, urban concentration enables efficiency and promotes innovation while raising the costs of land, housing, and labour. Socially, it can alienate or provide anonymity, while fostering new forms of community. It creates congestion and pollution, posing challenges for governance. Some effects extend beyond urban borders, creating cultural change. The character of cities varies by country and world region, but it has generic qualities, a claim best tested by comparing places that are most different. These qualities intertwine, creating built environments that endure. To fully comprehend such path dependency, we need to develop a synthetic vision that is historically and geographically informed.

Why Cities Matter

Author : Stephen T. Um,Justin Buzzard
Publisher : Crossway
Page : 178 pages
File Size : 53,6 Mb
Release : 2013-03-31
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781433532924

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Why Cities Matter by Stephen T. Um,Justin Buzzard Pdf

We live in a unique moment in history. Right now, more people live in urban centers than ever before. This means that we have an unprecedented opportunity to influence the majority of the world through the church in the city. Helping us to make the most of this moment, urban pastors Justin Buzzard and Stephen Um lay out a compelling vision for cultural engagement and church planting in our world’s cities. If you’re looking for motivation to maintain a commitment to the city or for guidance as you consider going all in, this book provides a comprehensive analysis of urban life that informs, instructs, inspires, and answers questions including: Why cities are so important What the Bible says about cities How to overcome common issues and develop a plan for living missionally in the city Instead of retreating from or taking from our cities, here is a call to make the cities our home, to take good care of them, and to participate in God’s kingdom-building work in the urban centers of our world.

The Spirit of Cities

Author : Daniel A. Bell,Avner de-Shalit
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 368 pages
File Size : 42,8 Mb
Release : 2013-10-27
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9780691159690

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The Spirit of Cities by Daniel A. Bell,Avner de-Shalit Pdf

A lively and personal book that returns the city to political thought Cities shape the lives and outlooks of billions of people, yet they have been overshadowed in contemporary political thought by nation-states, identity groups, and concepts like justice and freedom. The Spirit of Cities revives the classical idea that a city expresses its own distinctive ethos or values. In the ancient world, Athens was synonymous with democracy and Sparta represented military discipline. In this original and engaging book, Daniel Bell and Avner de-Shalit explore how this classical idea can be applied to today's cities, and they explain why philosophy and the social sciences need to rediscover the spirit of cities. Bell and de-Shalit look at nine modern cities and the prevailing ethos that distinguishes each one. The cities are Jerusalem (religion), Montreal (language), Singapore (nation building), Hong Kong (materialism), Beijing (political power), Oxford (learning), Berlin (tolerance and intolerance), Paris (romance), and New York (ambition). Bell and de-Shalit draw upon the richly varied histories of each city, as well as novels, poems, biographies, tourist guides, architectural landmarks, and the authors' own personal reflections and insights. They show how the ethos of each city is expressed in political, cultural, and economic life, and also how pride in a city's ethos can oppose the homogenizing tendencies of globalization and curb the excesses of nationalism. The Spirit of Cities is unreservedly impressionistic. Combining strolling and storytelling with cutting-edge theory, the book encourages debate and opens up new avenues of inquiry in philosophy and the social sciences. It is a must-read for lovers of cities everywhere. In a new preface, Bell and de-Shalit further develop their idea of "civicism," the pride city dwellers feel for their city and its ethos over that of others.

The Wealth and Poverty of Regions

Author : Mario Polèse
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Page : 288 pages
File Size : 47,7 Mb
Release : 2010-01-15
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 0226673170

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The Wealth and Poverty of Regions by Mario Polèse Pdf

As the world becomes more interconnected through travel and electronic communication, many believe that physical places will become less important. But as Mario Polèse argues in The Wealth and Poverty of Regions, geography will matter more than ever before in a world where distance is allegedly dead. This provocative book surveys the globe, from London and Cape Town to New York and Beijing, contending that regions rise—or fall—due to their location, not only within nations but also on the world map. Polèse reveals how concentrations of industries and populations in specific locales often result in minor advantages that accumulate over time, resulting in reduced prices, improved transportation networks, increased diversity, and not least of all, “buzz”—the excitement and vitality that attracts ambitious people. The Wealth and Poverty of Regions maps out how a heady mix of size, infrastructure, proximity, and cost will determine which urban centers become the thriving metropolises of the future, and which become the deserted cities of the past. Engagingly written, the book provides insight to the past, present, and future of regions.

Real Estate and Global Urban History

Author : Alexia Yates
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 75 pages
File Size : 53,9 Mb
Release : 2021-08-26
Category : History
ISBN : 1108797113

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Real Estate and Global Urban History by Alexia Yates Pdf

Capitalist private property in land and buildings - real estate - is the ground of modern cities, materially, politically, and economically. It is foundational to their development and core to much theoretical work on the urban environment. It is also a central, pressing matter of political contestation in contemporary cities. Yet it remains largely without a history. This Element examines the modern city as a propertied space, defining real estate as a technology of (dis)possession and using it to move across scales of analysis, from the local spatiality of particular built spaces to the networks of legal, political, and economic imperatives that constitute property and operate at national and international levels. This combination of territorial embeddedness with more wide-ranging institutional relationships charts a route to an urban history that allows the city to speak as a global agent and artefact without dispensing with the role of states and local circumstance.

American Urbanist

Author : Richard K. Rein
Publisher : Island Press
Page : 354 pages
File Size : 55,5 Mb
Release : 2022-01-13
Category : Architecture
ISBN : 9781642831702

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American Urbanist by Richard K. Rein Pdf

"William H. Whyte's curiosity compelled him to question the status quo--whether helping to make Fortune Magazine essential reading for business leaders, warning of "groupthink" in his bestseller The Organization Man, or standing up for Jane Jacobs as she advocated for the vitality of city life and public space. This compelling biography sheds light on Whyte's bold way of thinking, ripe for rediscovery at a time when we are reshaping our communities into places of opportunity and empowerment for all citizens" -- Backcover.

The Wealth and Poverty of Cities

Author : Mario Polèse
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 337 pages
File Size : 49,7 Mb
Release : 2019-09-02
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9780190053734

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The Wealth and Poverty of Cities by Mario Polèse Pdf

That some cities are vibrant while others are in decline is starkly apparent. In The Wealth and Poverty of Cities, Mario Polèse argues that focusing on city attributes is too narrow. Cities do not control the basic conditions that determine their success or failure as sources of economic growth and well-being. Nations matter because successful metropolitan economies do not spring forth spontaneously. The values, norms, and institutions that shape social relationships are national attributes. The preconditions for the creation of wealth-the rule of law, public education, and sound macroeconomic management among the most fundamental-are the responsibility of the state. By considering national fiscal and monetary policies and state policies governing the organization of cities, this book disentangles two processes: the mechanics of creating wealth and the mechanics of agglomeration or capturing wealth. Polèse explains the two-stage process in which the proper conditions must first be in place for the benefits of agglomeration to fully flower. Polèse interweaves evocative descriptions of various cities, contrasting cities that have been helped or hurt by local and national policies wise or ill-advised. From New York to Vienna, Buenos Aires to Port au Prince, the cities come to life. Throughout the book Polèse highlights four factors that help explain strengths and weaknesses of cities as foci of economic opportunity and social cohesion: institutions, people, centrality, and chance. The result is a nuanced and accessible introduction to the economy of cities and an original perspective on what needs to improve. Cities that have managed to produce livable urban environments for the majority of their citizens mirror the societies that spawned them. Similarly, cities that have failed are almost always signs of more deep-rooted failures. If the nation does not work, neither will its cities.

Governing Cities

Author : Madeleine Pill
Publisher : Springer Nature
Page : 187 pages
File Size : 48,6 Mb
Release : 2021-06-21
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9783030726218

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Governing Cities by Madeleine Pill Pdf

In our urban world, cities are where most of us experience how our economies and societies are organised and the inequalities which result. This textbook introduces ideas, theories, concepts and examples to help us understand the political and policy challenges of governing cities, centred on the principal challenge of how to make our cities more equitable. It poses critical questions – about how cities are governed, by whom, according to what values, and for whom – and draws from a wide range of urban scholarship. The ‘how’ covers urban politics and the policy instruments which result. The ‘by whom’ addresses power relations within and beyond the city and the tensions between different priorities and values. The ‘for whom’ centres equity and the role of citizens and collective action in how we are governed. In addressing these questions, the book provides an overview of the core theories of urban politics and governance, thinks about what happens at different scales, and examines new forms of citizen activism which herald alternatives for cities. It is a unique introduction to students, policymakers and practitioners who want to understand and seek to improve urban politics and policy.

Happy City

Author : Charles Montgomery
Publisher : Doubleday Canada
Page : 404 pages
File Size : 48,6 Mb
Release : 2013-11-12
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780385669139

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Happy City by Charles Montgomery Pdf

Charles Montgomery’s Happy City will revolutionize the way we think about urban life. After decades of unchecked sprawl, more people than ever are moving back to the city. Dense urban living has been prescribed as a panacea for the environmental and resource crises of our time. But is it better or worse for our happiness? Are subways, sidewalks and condo towers an improvement on the car-dependence of sprawl? The award-winning journalist Charles Montgomery finds answers to such questions at the intersection between urban design and the emerging science of happiness, during an exhilarating journey through some of the world’s most dynamic cities. He meets the visionary mayor who introduced a “sexy” bus to ease status anxiety in Bogotá; the architect who brought the lessons of medieval Tuscan hill towns to modern-day New York City; the activist who turned Paris’s urban freeways into beaches; and an army of American suburbanites who have hacked the design of their own streets and neighborhoods. Rich with new insights from psychology, neuroscience and Montgomery’s own urban experiments, Happy City reveals how our cities can shape our thoughts as well as our behavior. The message is as surprising as it is hopeful: by retrofitting cities and our own lives for happiness, we can tackle the urgent challenges of our age. The happy city can save the world--and all of us can help build it.

Understanding Mobilities for Designing Contemporary Cities

Author : Paola Pucci,Matteo Colleoni
Publisher : Springer
Page : 274 pages
File Size : 52,6 Mb
Release : 2015-12-08
Category : Science
ISBN : 9783319225784

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Understanding Mobilities for Designing Contemporary Cities by Paola Pucci,Matteo Colleoni Pdf

This book explores mobilities as a key to understanding the practices that both frame and generate contemporary everyday life in the urban context. At the same time, it investigates the challenges arising from the interpretation of mobility as a socio-spatial phenomenon both in the social sciences and in urban studies. Leading sociologists, economists, urban planners and architects address the ways in which spatial mobilities contribute to producing diversified uses of the city and describe forms and rhythms of different life practices, including unexpected uses and conflicts. The individual sections of the book focus on the role of mobility in transforming contemporary cities; the consequences of interpreting mobility as a socio-spatial phenomenon for urban projects and policies; the conflicts and inequalities generated by the co-presence of different populations due to mobility and by the interests gathered around major mobility projects; and the use of new data and mapping of mobilities to enhance comprehension of cities. The theoretical discussion is complemented by references to practical experiences, helping readers gain a broader understanding of mobilities in relation to the capacity to analyze, plan and design contemporary cities.

How Cities Work

Author : Alex Marshall
Publisher : University of Texas Press
Page : 350 pages
File Size : 48,9 Mb
Release : 2000-12-31
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780292792432

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How Cities Work by Alex Marshall Pdf

“Marshall writes with wit, reason, and style . . . An excellent resource on the history and future of American cities.” —Library Journal Do cities work anymore? How did they get to be such sprawling conglomerations of lookalike subdivisions, mega freeways, and “big box” superstores surrounded by acres of parking lots? And why, most of all, don't they feel like real communities? These are the questions that Alex Marshall tackles in this hard-hitting, highly readable look at what makes cities work. Marshall argues that urban life has broken down because of our basic ignorance of the real forces that shape cities—transportation systems, industry and business, and political decision-making. He explores how these forces have built four very different urban environments: the decentralized sprawl of California’s Silicon Valley; the crowded streets of New York City’s Jackson Heights neighborhood; the controlled growth of Portland, Oregon; and the stage-set facades of Disney’s planned community, Celebration, Florida. To build better cities, Marshall asserts, we must understand and intelligently direct the forces that shape them. Without prescribing any one solution, he defines the key issues facing all concerned citizens who are trying to control urban sprawl and build real communities. His timely book is important reading for a wide public and professional audience.

Future Cities: All That Matters

Author : Camilla Ween
Publisher : Hachette UK
Page : 160 pages
File Size : 43,6 Mb
Release : 2014-06-27
Category : Architecture
ISBN : 9781444196122

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Future Cities: All That Matters by Camilla Ween Pdf

In Future Cities: All that Matters Camilla Ween will outline the challenges of meeting the anticipated growth of world cities over the next few decades. By 2030 it is predicted that between 80-90 % of the world's population will be living in cities, in several countries this will be 100%; Singapore is already classified as having a 100% urban population. There will be many cities with populations of over 20 million. The infrastructure required to support these cities will be a massive challenge for city planners and governments. Never in the history of civilisation has the need to deliver so much been so urgent - and with dwindling world resources. Tackling the challenges will be further complicated by pressure to develop solutions that are sustainable and include climate change mitigation measures. Some advocate geo-engineering - the large-scale engineering and manipulation of the world's environment e.g. ocean fertilisation to remove CO2 from the atmosphere, as the answer to tackling climate change. Others see this as a doomsday scenario and believe the solution lies in behaviour adaptation, changing the way we live and making do with less. Despite the difficulties, the book will chart how some cities are already tackling the problems, policies that are emerging to meet these challenges and will highlight innovations that are currently being explored.

Creative Cities, Cultural Clusters and Local Economic Development

Author : Philip N. Cooke,Luciana Lazzeretti
Publisher : Edward Elgar Publishing
Page : 385 pages
File Size : 55,7 Mb
Release : 2008-01-01
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781847209948

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Creative Cities, Cultural Clusters and Local Economic Development by Philip N. Cooke,Luciana Lazzeretti Pdf

Analyses the economic development of cities from the 'cultural economy' and 'creative industry' perspectives.

Cities for People

Author : Jan Gehl
Publisher : Island Press
Page : 284 pages
File Size : 52,9 Mb
Release : 2013-03-05
Category : Architecture
ISBN : 9781597269841

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Cities for People by Jan Gehl Pdf

For more than forty years Jan Gehl has helped to transform urban environments around the world based on his research into the ways people actually use—or could use—the spaces where they live and work. In this revolutionary book, Gehl presents his latest work creating (or recreating) cityscapes on a human scale. He clearly explains the methods and tools he uses to reconfigure unworkable cityscapes into the landscapes he believes they should be: cities for people. Taking into account changing demographics and changing lifestyles, Gehl emphasizes four human issues that he sees as essential to successful city planning. He explains how to develop cities that are Lively, Safe, Sustainable, and Healthy. Focusing on these issues leads Gehl to think of even the largest city on a very small scale. For Gehl, the urban landscape must be considered through the five human senses and experienced at the speed of walking rather than at the speed of riding in a car or bus or train. This small-scale view, he argues, is too frequently neglected in contemporary projects. In a final chapter, Gehl makes a plea for city planning on a human scale in the fast- growing cities of developing countries. A “Toolbox,” presenting key principles, overviews of methods, and keyword lists, concludes the book. The book is extensively illustrated with over 700 photos and drawings of examples from Gehl’s work around the globe.

The Affordable City

Author : Shane Phillips
Publisher : Island Press
Page : 282 pages
File Size : 47,5 Mb
Release : 2020-09-15
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781642831337

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The Affordable City by Shane Phillips Pdf

From Los Angeles to Boston and Chicago to Miami, US cities are struggling to address the twin crises of high housing costs and household instability. Debates over the appropriate course of action have been defined by two poles: building more housing or enacting stronger tenant protections. These options are often treated as mutually exclusive, with support for one implying opposition to the other. Shane Phillips believes that effectively tackling the housing crisis requires that cities support both tenant protections and housing abundance. He offers readers more than 50 policy recommendations, beginning with a set of principles and general recommendations that should apply to all housing policy. The remaining recommendations are organized by what he calls the Three S’s of Supply, Stability, and Subsidy. Phillips makes a moral and economic case for why each is essential and recommendations for making them work together. There is no single solution to the housing crisis—it will require a comprehensive approach backed by strong, diverse coalitions. The Affordable City is an essential tool for professionals and advocates working to improve affordability and increase community resilience through local action.