Being Urban

Community, Conflict and Belonging in the Middle East

Simon Goldhill editor

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Taylor & Francis Ltd

Published:7th Sep '20

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Being Urban cover

In Being Urban, Simon Goldhill and his team of outstanding urbanists explore the meaning of the urban condition, with particular reference to the Middle East. As Goldhill explains in his introduction, ‘What is a good city?’, five questions motivate the book:

How can a city be systematically planned and yet maintain a possibility of flexibility, change, and the wellbeing of citizens?

How does the city represent itself to itself, and image its past, its present and its future?

What is it to dwell in, and experience, a city?

How does violence erupt in and to a city, and what strategies of reconciliation and reconstruction can be employed?

And finally, what is the relationship between the infrastructure of the city and the political process?

Following the introduction, the twelve chapters are grouped into four sections: Engagement and Space; Infrastructure and Space; Conflict and Structures; and Curating the City. Through each chapter, the contributors reflect on aspects of urban infrastructure and culture, citizenship, belonging and exclusion, politics and conflict, with examples from across the Middle East, from Cairo to Tehran, Tel Aviv to Istanbul.

Not only will Being Urban further understanding of the topography of citizenship in the Middle East and beyond, it will also contribute to answering one of today’s key questions: What Is A Good City?

"Atour de force, Being Urban is a masterful, comprehensive study of urban space and the development of cities in the Middle East, resulting from a series of seminars at the University of Cambridge. Here, 16 acclaimed urbanists bring their expertise to bear on the question: what is a good city? Although the book offers an overview of some of the major metropolitan areas of the Middle East, its real contribution lies in its wealth of erudition for the appreciation of cultural credentials, not only in the region but also across global space in its entirety. The references alone are worthy of real attention. This is a necessary read for sociologists, architects, and cultural anthropologists who can identify with the high level of thought brought to bear here."

S. R. Silverburg, Professor Emeritus, Catawba College

ISBN: 9780367898465

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 802g

268 pages