City futures : confronting the crisis of urban development / Edgar Pieterse.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Pieterse, E. A. (Edgar A.), author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Urbanization.

Cities and towns--Growth.

Cities and towns.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (viii, 206 p.) : ill.

polychrome.

Edition:

1st ed.

Distribution:

[London, England] : Bloomsbury Publishing, 2021

Place of Publication:

London, England : Zed Books, ©2008.

System Details:

data file

Summary:

Cities are the future. In the past two decades, a global urban revolution has taken place, mainly in the South. The 'mega-cities' of the developing world are home to over 10 million people each and even smaller cities are experiencing unprecedented population surges. The problems surrounding this influx of people - slums, poverty, unemployment and lack of governance - have been well-documented. This book is a powerful indictment of the current consensus on how to deal with these challenges. Pieterse argues that the current 'shelter for all' and 'urban good governance' policies treat only the symptoms, not the causes of the problem. Instead, he claims, there is an urgent need to reinvigorate civil society in these cities, to encourage radical democracy, economic resilience, social resistance and environmental sustainability folded into the everyday concerns of marginalised people. Providing a dynamic picture of a cosmopolitan urban citizenship, this book is an essential guide to one of the new century's greatest challenges.

Contents:

Introduction : deciphering city futures

Urbanization trends and implications

Mainstream agenda I : shelter for all

Mainstream agenda II : good governance

Reconceptualising the political in cities

Informal everyday urbanism

Counterpoint : alternative urban development

Making a start towards alternative city futures.

Notes:

First published in southern Africa by UCT Press, 2008.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 177-199) and index.

Print version record.

ISBN:

9781350219199 (ebook)

9781842775400 (hbk.)

9781842775417 (pbk.)

9786611964566

9781350219199

1350219193

9781281964564

1281964565

9781848133549

1848133545

OCLC:

476210690