Description
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewYue Zhang vividly captures the inherently political nature of urban historic preservation by comparing the complex process by which political actors use government to transform and protect the urban landscape in Beijing, Chicago, and Paris. The Fragmented Politics of Urban Preservation is exceptionally well written, lively, and careful in its analysis. It highlights how the structure of urban governance powerfully influences the way cities change physically, and it raises profound questions about the obstacles to local democracy in deciding how and when this happens. It is a major contribution to the study of comparative urban politics.—Paul Kantor, Fordham University
Yue Zhang has given us a wonderful volume on the politics of urban preservation that is written in the best tradition of social science. This comparative study is comprehensive without being overbearing and incisive without getting lost in detail. It is no easy task to deliver on such an ambitious project, but this book does it with aplomb and tenacity of purpose.—H.V. Savitch, University of Louisville
Table of ContentsContents
AcknowledgmentsIntroduction: The Paradox of Urban Preservation
1. The Logic of Political Fragmentation2. Beijing: Bureaucratic Anarchy and Symbolic Preservation3. Chicago: Aldermanic Fiefdoms and Mosaic Preservation4. Paris: Intergovernmental Fragmentation and Joint Preservation
Conclusion: Political Boundaries and Beyond
NotesBibliographyIndex
