Modernist urbanism seems progressive, even Utopian: design for a better world through a democratic and humane built environment. But two currents undermine this vision from within: an Arcadianism which turns to a rural idyll as retreat from change and the effects of industrialization; and an instrumentalism by which the humane vision becomes prescriptive and anti-democratic. Malcolm Miles argues that these two currents undermine modernism's progressive vision. This book examines the roots of modernist urbanism in the seamless, self-contained systems of Cartesian space; and identifies contradictions within modernist urbanism in its instrumentalism and reliance on de-politicised professional expertise. Miles adroitly reviews the postmodern culture of industrial ruinscapes; and posits that if cities are to be places of proximity, diversity, mobility and agency, this will require a move from modernist instrumentalism to a creative and radically democratic co-production of the built environment.

Offers concise yet incisive critical discussion of how cities reflect and shape philosophical ideas; and how underlying narratives condition the ways in which cities are built, rebuilt and experienced Written accessibly for students in fields including urban studies, cultural and human geographies, sociology, and architecture, and professionals in city planning, development and culture Comprises a variety of first-hand description, polemic and research, as well as some vivid and well-used literary and cultural examples

Autorentext

Malcolm Miles is a writer on modern and contemporary culture, theory and urbanism. His research spans the humanities and social sciences, drawing on twentieth-century critical theory and more recent reconsiderations of the radical Left. He is author of Cities and Literature (2019), Cities and Culture (2007), and Limits to Culture (2015). He retired as Professor of Cultural Theory in the Architecture School, University of Plymouth in 2016.

Inhalt
Chapter 1 Colliding Utopias.- Chapter 2 From Arcadia to Plotlands.- Chapter 3 Drawing a Line.- Chapter 4 The Contradictions of Modernism.- Chapter 5 Post-industrial Ruinscapes.- Chapter 6 An Urban Revolution?.