Description
Book SynopsisWhat do we mean by a city, beyond a built-up area with a sizeable population? This book examines the social meanings of cities - as places of work, leisure, night-life, danger, creativity, etc. - to contribute to understand how our lives are changing as more than half of the world s population now lives in cities.
Trade Review"An engaging and rewarding read."
—City
"Concise yet authoritative, The City provides an accessible overview of current debates in urban sociology, with excellent coverage of questions of emotion and encounter in the everyday city. Situating such issues in the context of urban global processes, Deborah Stevenson provides a remarkable range of case studies which illuminate and intrigue."
—Phil Hubbard, University of Kent
"Drawing together interdisciplinary insights from across sociology, geography and urban studies more generally, this clear and highly readable book provides a series of engaging and informative cuts on the contemporary urban condition as material, imagined and lived. Its multi-focal lens and interdisciplinary frame will make it a valuable resource for urban scholars and students alike."
—Pauline McGuirk, University of Newcastle, Australia
"Deborah Stevenson's overview of the contemporary city is both impressive and enlightening. Her ability to stand back from the welter of ideas and empirical analyses of the present-day city, in both the global North and South, and to identify the main themes and issues surrounding their development, makes this book an essential read for those wanting to gain an overall appreciation of the urban condition."
—Ronan Paddison, University of Glasgow
Table of ContentsPreface
Chapter 1: Theoretical City: Concepts and Frameworks
Chapter 2: Material City: Economies and Inequalities
Chapter 3: Everyday City: Diversity and Predictability
Chapter 4: Dark City: Regulation and Stimulation
Chapter 5: Emotional City: Memory, Belief and Passion
Chapter 6: Global City: Hierarchies and the Urban ‘Other'
Chapter 7: Imagined City: Visions and Brands
Chapter 8: Concepts of the City and Beyond
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