Cold War Cities: Politics, Culture and Atomic Urbanism, 1945-1965

This book explores the impact of the Cold War on urbanism, focusing on city-scale reactions to atomic warfare. It examines how cities in the Arctic, Europe, Asia, and Australasia responded to the threat of nuclear war, including planning, politics, resistance, and cultural practices. The book investigates how the bomb manifested itself in civic governance, popular media, arts, and academia and offers a new perspective on the growth post-Second World War by foregrounding the Cold War.

Format: Hardback
Length: 324 pages
Publication date: 21 December 2020
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

The Cold War had a profound impact on the world, shaping not only international relations but also the urban landscape. In response to the threat of nuclear war, cities around the globe began to develop in unique ways, with urbanism serving as a powerful tool for combating the dangers of communism. This book explores the impact of the Cold War on urbanism, focusing on city-scale reactions to atomic warfare.

The birth of 'atomic urbanization' was a central aspect of this phenomenon, characterized by planning, politics, and cultural practices that emerged in the newly formed cities. The book examines cities in the Arctic, Europe, Asia, and Australasia in detail, revealing how military, political, resistance, and cultural practices impacted the spaces of everyday life. It probes questions such as how the threat of nuclear war affected planning at various geographic scales, what were the patterns of the built environment, architectural forms, and material aesthetics of atomic urbanism in different places, and how did the 'Bomb' manifest itself in civic governance, popular media, arts, and academia?

Understanding the age of atomic urbanism is crucial in meeting the contemporary challenges that cities face. The book offers a new dimension to the existing debates of the ideologically opposed superpowers and their allies, their hemispherical geopolitical struggles, and helps to understand decades of growth post-Second World War by foregrounding the Cold War.

In conclusion, this book provides a valuable insight into the impact of the Cold War on urbanism, shedding light on the ways in which cities responded to the threat of nuclear war and the role that urbanism played in shaping the world we live in today.

Weight: 672g
Dimension: 160 x 241 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781138573611