In the Nature of Cities

“In the Nature of Cities” tackles the critical task of reintegrating questions of nature and ecology into urban discourse. This pioneering collection navigates the terrain of urban political ecology and dissects the economic, political, social, and ecological processes that shape contemporary urban landscapes.

Authored by prominent political ecology scholars, the essays in this book emphasize that reinserting the ecological agenda into urban theory is essential for understanding modern urbanization processes and for engaging in meaningful environmental politics. The central themes explored include the question of whose nature becomes urbanized and the unequal power relations that drive this socio-metabolic transformation.

The book highlights the socio-ecological activism that challenges dominant forms of urbanizing nature. The contributors aim to open a research agenda and political platform that advocates for democratizing the politics of urban nature, thereby creating contemporary cities that serve as both enabling and disempowering living spaces for humans and non-humans alike.

Nik Heynen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Maria Kaika is a Lecturer in Urban Geography at the University of Oxford’s School of Geography and the Environment, and a Fellow of St. Edmund Hall, Oxford. Erik Swyngedouw is a Professor at the University of Oxford’s School of Geography and the Environment, and a Fellow of St. Peter’s College, Oxford.

Sources:

https://urbanforensics.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/inthenatureofcities.pdf