Seminar 4: Contested Cities: Social Process and Spatial Form

This Seminar was the one I and Billy presented to the class and here is some of the information we discussed about Contested Cities

David Harvey a leading theorist in the urban fields, discusses the fact that cities are important in understanding the human condition, but he does not fully go into depth about this.

Commentators in present day see the worst for our future cities (eg marginalization, disempowerment, alienation, pollution). Though this can be seen as the normal way of looking our cities. Though Harvey suggests that in the 19^th century western society, was much more concerned with the wealthfare of cities. Bourgeois movement (bourgeois French word that can be referred as the wealthiest class). This movement was fronted by people such as Jane Addams, Octavia Hill and Ebenezer Howard who we know were a big advocate for garden cities. Late 19^th century and early 20^th century cities greatly improved. But today we do not think of our cities as the most important thing in our society even though in the near future if trends consist half the planets population will be living in cities

Process and form

Harvey looks at how we see form as more important than the process. How the form has more influence than the process, but both are thoroughly connected. That everything within and around the city, such social, economic and political functions have purpose in the process of creating city

Community

Seen to redeem and fix everything, seen to be the absolute goal. Though this line of thinking comes from past thinking. A lot of community projects lead to isolation and move towards fragmenting the city and isolating its occupants. Marion Young: “Racism, ethnic chauvism and class devaluation I suggest grow partly from the desire for community” Community activism still very important though.

Two flaws in thinking community the be all and end all.

1.      Proper design will never be able to bring harmony (19^th century thinkers didn’t see that) (Also eg the car)

2.      Fixed communities (similar classes and gender relations)

The Paraisopolis favela borders the affluent district of Morumbi. Photo by Tuca Vieira. Photo:

Kevin McCloud slumming it 2010

Mumbai, Dharavi

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-yjpvzGKZQ