Cities and Urban Cultures

Different cocktails displayed on a table with fashion stores in the background.Developing a robust and data-rich urban theory is now a central goal in the humanities and social sciences, bridging sociology, human geography, architecture, anthropology and media studies, among others. An important challenge for academia is to balance the predominance of quantitative urban research within policy communities with a rigorous approach to qualitative urban analysis. This includes constant methodological innovation, careful attention to the role of data and the representational techniques that govern thinking about cities, and a grounded theory capable of explaining the complexity of the contemporary metropolis.

Research conducted under this theme includes topics such as: the expert epistemological communities of architects, management consultants, and engineers that underpin the development of global cities (McNeill); ethnicity, place identity, and urban space (Anderson, Ang, Noble); cultural economies of infrastructure, from broadband to energy to waste to airports (Neilson, McNeill, Sofoulis, Winter); the design, use and management of public space and public art, including graffiti and night-time economies (Rowe, Stevenson, Tomsen); and the social and cultural critique of mega-events, such as the Shanghai Expo (Winter). It will expand its focus to include key themes such as commuting and urban mobilities; population trends and state theory; the socio-spatiality of maritime cities and urban waterways; urban density and everyday life; public food knowledge and urban farming; and the relationship between centrality and ethnicity within global cities, such as Chinatowns.

Books

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