Imagining Seattle: Social Values in Urban Governance

Imagining Seattle explores how environmentalism, privilege, oppression, and economic growth are intertwined in contemporary discourse and practice in American cities, using a case study of Seattle to shed light on how policies aimed at burnishing Seattle's liberal reputation often disadvantage communities of color and the poor.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 276 pages
Publication date: 01 July 2021
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press

Imagining Seattle is a thought-provoking book that delves into some of the most pressing and compelling aspects of contemporary urban governance in the United States. Author Serin D. Houston employs a case study of Seattle to shed light on how ideas about environmentalism, privilege, oppression, and economic growth have become intertwined in contemporary discourse and practice in American cities. Seattle has, by all accounts, been hugely successful in cultivating amenities that attract a creative class. However, policies aimed at burnishing Seattle's liberal reputation often unfold in ways that further disadvantage communities of color and the poor, complicating the city's claims to progressive politics.

Through ethnographic methods and a geographic perspective, Houston explores a range of recent initiatives in Seattle, including the designation of a new cultural district near downtown, the push to charge for disposable shopping bags, and the advent of training about institutional racism for municipal workers. Looking not just at what these policies say but at how they work in practice, she finds that opportunities for social justice, sustainability, and creativity are all constrained by the prevalence of market-oriented thinking and the classism and racism that seep into the architecture of many programs and policies. Houston urges us to consider how values influence actions within urban governance and emphasizes the necessity of developing effective conditions for sustainability, creativity, and social justice in this era of increasing urbanization.

In conclusion, Imagining Seattle is a valuable contribution to the field of urban studies. By examining the case of Seattle, Houston provides a nuanced and critical analysis of the challenges and opportunities facing contemporary cities. Through her ethnographic approach and geographic lens, she offers a fresh perspective on the complex relationships between environmentalism, privilege, oppression, and economic growth. Houston's book is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the dynamics of urban governance and the urgent need for sustainable, creative, and socially just policies in our rapidly urbanizing world.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781496224989