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: Paperback / softback
Length: 324 pages
Publication date: 31 May 2023
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 across the globe began to develop strategies to protect themselves and their residents. This book examines the impact of the Cold War on urbanism, focusing on city-scale reactions to the atomic warfare.

Urbanism was seen as a weapon to combat the dangers of communist intrusion into American territories and to promote living standards for the urban poor. Planning, politics, and cultural practices were all influenced by the need to protect against nuclear attack.

The book explores cities in the Arctic, Europe, Asia, and Australasia, providing a detailed analysis of how military, political, resistance, and cultural practices impacted the spaces of everyday life. It examines questions such as how the threat of nuclear war affected planning at a range of 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 are facing. 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, highlighting the strategies that cities developed to protect themselves and their residents from the threat of nuclear war. It sheds light on the ways in which urbanism was used as a tool for social and economic development, as well as for political and cultural expression. By examining cities in different regions and contexts, the book offers a comprehensive understanding of the age of atomic urbanism and its legacy.

Weight: 610g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367619909