How To Think About Cities

Cities are complex with many dimensions of life playing out and conflicting. Urban policy makers and analysts often emphasize a dominant lens for understanding the key, central logic of the city, which is misleading and unjust. How To Think About Cities argues for an explicitly hybrid perspective that shifts between many different frames for making sense of cities, highlighting how any given stance opens up some lines of inquiry and understanding while closing off others. This mosaic view of the city promotes a synthetic approach to urban analysis that emphasizes difference and political possibility.

Format: Hardback
Length: 216 pages
Publication date: 16 December 2022
Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Ltd

Cities are vibrant, bustling hubs that teem with life and complexity. Within their intricate landscapes, a multitude of dimensions of existence intertwine and clash, encompassing political, cultural, economic, and social aspects. Urban policy makers and analysts often strive to navigate the cacophony of urban dissent by emphasizing a singular lens that purportedly captures the essence of the city. However, How to Think About Cities challenges this tendency, arguing that cities are multifaceted entities that evoke different interpretations and meanings for diverse individuals and communities.

This book delves into the diverse ways of perceiving the functions and landscapes of cities as place frames, emphasizing the ongoing negotiation process to determine which frames best elucidate the city as a place of creation. Martin and Pierce advocate for a hybrid perspective that shifts between multiple frames, recognizing that each stance offers unique insights while simultaneously limiting others. By viewing cities as sites of contested perspectives, this approach fosters a synthetic urban analysis that emphasizes diversity and political potential.

The mosaic view of the city presented in this book is a valuable resource for scholars and researchers in urban studies, geography, and social sciences who seek to explore the multifaceted tapestry of urban life. It encourages a deeper understanding of the complex dynamics that shape cities, challenging preconceived notions and promoting a more inclusive and nuanced perspective on urban development and governance.

Weight: 431g
Dimension: 218 x 137 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781509536184