Clean Living Under Difficult Circumstances: Finding a Home in the Ruins of Modernism

Clean Living in Difficult Circumstances argues for the city as a socialist project, combining memoir, history, and portraits of particular places and things to outline a vision of the city as both a place of political argument and dispute and a space of everyday experience.

Format: Hardback
Length: 336 pages
Publication date: 22 June 2021
Publisher: Verso Books

Clean Living in Difficult Circumstances delves into the intricate details of grand state building projects, street signs, corner pubs, capital city rebuilding, and the provision of humble public toilets. It presents a compelling argument for the city as a socialist project, encompassing a diverse range of perspectives. Through a combination of memoir, history, captivating portraits of specific places and objects, and thoughtful analysis, author Hatherley advocates for those who have envisioned and worked towards creating a better modernity. This includes architects like Zaha Hadid and Ian Nairn, urban planners like Jane Jacobs and Marshall Berman, and thinkers like Mark Fisher and Adam Curtis, who have influenced our understanding of the world. Together, these diverse voices outline a comprehensive vision of the city as a dynamic space that intertwines political argument and dispute with the everyday experiences of its inhabitants. The city, in this perspective, is not merely a backdrop but a participatory realm where individuals actively shape its development and are shaped by it in turn. Clean Living in Difficult Circumstances serves as a testament to the power of urban planning and design to create a more equitable and sustainable future for all.

Weight: 424g
Dimension: 218 x 149 x 30 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781839762215