Researching the Contemporary City.
Identity, environment and social inclusion in urban areas
- Author(s): Peter Kellett, Jaime Hernández-García, Mona Abdelwahab, Tamer Abdelfattah Ahmed, Antika Sawadsri, Musyimi Mbathi, Rittirong Chutapruttikorn, Mauricio Hernández-Bonilla, Brenda Galván-López, Muhammad Faqih, Agam Marsoyo,
- Publisher: Pontificia Universidad Javeriana
- Pages: 253
- ISBN_10: 9587166345
ISBN_13: 9789587166347
- Language: en
- Categories: Architecture / Sustainability & Green Design , Architecture / History / Contemporary (1945-) ,
Description:... The city is perhaps the most complex of
all human constructs. In the 21st century when cities are bigger than ever, and
the majority of the worlds population now live in urban areas, the need for
research into this complexity to address the large scale challenges of urban
life has never been greater.
This collection of research studies from
different parts of the world, brings together case studies, underpinned by
theory, to contribute to the urgent search to make our cities more just, more livable,
more accessible, more participatory and more democratic: in short, more humane
places to live and work. These cross-cutting themes of social inclusion,
spatial integration and poverty alleviation are the ever present motifs and
motivations throughout this volume.
The eleven chapters are grouped into four
interrelated sections: the creation and representation of the urban; the
production and transformation of the informal; the construction and appropriation
of public spaces; and finally, the transformation, use and meaning of home. Collectively
the essays engage with the city at a range of scales, but underpinning all of
them is a concern for the everyday realities of ordinary peoples lives.
These detailed and fine-grain analyses of
complex processes are a modest contribution towards the creation of cities
which are not simply more economically viable and environmentally sustainable,
but also embody the ideals of social justice.
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