In this reappraisal of America's dilemma of racial and economic inequality, Thomas Sugrue asks why Detroit and other industrial cities have become the sites of persistent racialized poverty.

    The story then moves to Rome in the time of the Emperor Hadrian, exploring Roman beliefs in the geometrical perfection of the body.The second part of the book examines how Christian beliefs about the body related to the Christian city—the Venetian ghetto, cloisters, and markets in Paris. The final part of Flesh and Stone deals with what happened to urban space as modern scientific understanding of the body cut free from pagan and Christian beliefs. Flesh and Stone makes sense of our constantly evolving urban living spaces, helping us to build a common home for the increased diversity of bodies that make up the modern city.

    It reveals gentrification as part of a much larger shift in the political economy and culture of the late twentieth century. Documenting in gritty detail the conflicts that gentrification brings to the new urban 'frontiers', the author explores the interconnections of urban policy, patterns of investment, eviction, and homelessness. The failure of liberal urban policy and the end of the 1980s financial boom have made the end-of-the-century city a darker and more dangerous place. Public policy and the private market are conspiring against minorities, working people, the poor, and the homeless as never before. In the emerging revanchist city, gentrification has become part of this policy of revenge.

    In Evictions Rosalyn Deutsche investigates - and protests against - the dominant uses of this interdisciplinary discourse.

    The books' beautiful reproductions and finest quality printing and binding match those of the originals, while their 9-by-12-inch format makes them accessible and affordable. New introductions bring a modern voice to these texts, updating them to become invaluable contemporary resources.

    The similarities stem from the fact that we all see the same issues and problems in the world around us, and the same approaches to them; moreover, we share a common Christian concern for our less fortunate brothers and sisters. The main difference lies in the methodology: Maggay focuses strongly on Scripture in building a case for social involvement and in evaluating possible approaches; the Catholic would look also to the body of social thought developed by the Popes over the past 100 years or so. Yet for the Catholic the emphasis on Scripture can itself be refreshing and stimulating, and an incentive to dialogue with the Evangelical tradition. --The book makes other interesting contributions as well. It brings to the fore the ferment now taking place within the Philippine Evangelical churches. And it offers useful reflections on attitudes and strategies, dangers and traps in the arena of social involvement. In particular it offers a timely reminder to keep our focus on God and His work in the world, in the midst of our own 'worldly' involvement. Finally, it all rings true as coming from one who has been deeply involved in that same work.-- --Fr. Bienvenido F. Nebres, SJ President, Ateneo de Manila University --Dr. Melba Maggay writes on the Church as an agent for transforming society from her experience of Martial Law and her participation in the 1986 EDSA Revolution. She disavows being a theologian but she only means she is not an academic theologian! Or perhaps that she is not a dogmatic/systematic theologian. Despite her disavowal, what we have in this book is an outstanding piece of theological writing on the task of the Church in the world, particularly in Philippine society. She has no simple solutions to complex social situations. But she dares to dream because she knows that the Kingdom of God has come, and will yet come in blazing splendor when King Jesus returns. Meanwhile, in her words, she is 'one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread to sustain the journey towards liberation and social justice and righteousness.' I commend these essays wholeheartedly.-- --Dr. Isabelo F. Magalit President, Asian Theological Seminary --Transforming Society is the kind of book one could put into the hands of a senator, a human rights lawyer, a journalist with a political conscience and a community development worker, whether they are Christians or not, The better they were not, for non-Christians might better understand the passion and pain of Melba Maggay's writing than triumphalistic Christians with their ready made answers to a superficial assessment of society's problems. --She is writing as a social activist who has taken time to reflect on Scripture and theological tradition in order to make better sense of the Christian's role in society . . . Her involvement in working for justice in the Philippines leading to the euphoric EDSA 'revolution' gives the book concrete particularity. Her reflections on Scripture and the role of the church give the book usable generality for other social contexts and for other times. --Transforming Society is written in a bitter-sweet note. There is no frothy idealism in this book. But neither is it pessimistic. Instead a wary realism is reflected throughout its pages . . . Its lyrical language will inspire. Its sound concepts will provide direction. Its realism will help in being credible. Its hope is Christological. The overall impact of this book will be both challenging and prophetic. --Melba Maggay is undoubtedly the finest protestant theological writer in the Philippines, and possibly in the Third World . . .-- --Charles Ringma, PhD Professor, Asian Theological Seminary and founder of Tee

    The art terrorist's art terrorist." —Modern Review.Neoism, Plagiarism & Praxis is concerned with what's been happening at the cutting edge of culture since the demise of Fluxus and the Situationists. It provides inside information on the Neoists, Plagiarists, Art Strikers, London Psychogeographical Association, K Foundation, and other groups that are even more obscure.

    This book is a timely and lucid study of Benjamin's lifelong fascination with the city and forms of metropolitan experience.Benjamin's critical and complex account of the modern urban environment is traced through a number of key texts: the pioneering sketches of Naples, Marseilles and Moscow; his childhood reminiscences of Berlin; and his brilliant and unfinished studies of nineteenth-century Paris and the poet Charles Baudelaire.Gilloch emphasizes the importance of these writings for an interpretation of Benjamin's work as a whole, and highlights their relevance for our contemporary understanding of modernity.

    If you re considering full-time urban ministry, you will want to read this before setting out; if you re already engaged in mission, this is a helpful reminder of the price you pay and the reward you receive.

    The main weapons: aerosol spray paint versus hundreds of taxpayer-funded abatements programs. To the graffiti writer, graffiti is a secret language, an empowering form of self-expression, a screaming voice against an unjust, alienating society. To the upholders of social law and order, graffiti is "vandalism," an ugly and terrifying threat to social value, which cost U.S. taxpayers four billion dollars in 1995.For two years, beginning in the fall of 1994, Michael Walsh immersed himself in the graffiti world of the San Francisco Bay Area. He took thousands of photographs, frequented train yards, went on all-night "bombing runs" with graffiti writers, prowled the Muni train tunnels at 3a.m., rode with graffiti abatement crews, spoke with small business owners who are frequent targets of graffiti, and tracked down key city officials and personnel directly involved with graffiti removal.This powerful book delivers a raw, in-your-face account of this complex and controversial subject. It contains nearly 200 photographs, and quotes from over fifty interviews regarding both sides of the issue, and dispels many of the media-generated myths concerning graffiti. In this moving, articulate, visual account, Michael Walsh presents to us an urban phenomenon begging to be understood.

    

    Including 45 black-and-white illustrations of buildings and public spaces, the book argues that those concerned with urban design and social change should make their contribution to bringing about a better world by designing spaces based in utopian or emancipatory theories. Author Ross King presents theories of social improvement and architecture since the enlightenment with an eye toward developing new urban design ideas for the postmodern era. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.1. Introduction: The Design of the City, The Progress of Modernity, and the Crisis of Postmodernity2. Space and Power:The Enlightenment3. Space and the Commodity: The Nineteenth Century and the Rise of Modernity4. The Space of Revolution: 1900 and the Maelstrom5. The 1920s as Crucible: Translation, Vkhutemas, and the Bauhaus6. The Universal Space of the Twentieth Century: Voyages Against the Ebb7. The Space of Signs: 1968, Modernity, and Postmodernity8. "Postmodern"9. Space and Deconstruction: Map as Myth10. Conclusion: New Geography11. The Philosophical Discourse of Modernity versus Postmodernity12. Conclusion: New Architecture, New Urban Design

    Now you can see first-hand how such goundbreaking transit villages as Mission Valley station in San Diego and Ballston Station in northern Virginia are setting a new standard in urban development. In Transit Villages in the 21st Century, by Michael S. Bernick and Robert Burke Cervero, you'll see how to design efficient, environmentally friendly transit communities that hug metropolitan rail systems to reduce gridlock and spur growth. It shows you how to handle everything from transportation and real estate development to zoning, site planning and master planning. . .develop pedestrian access, mixed-use environments and diversified housing. . .create a sense of place'' in these unique communities. . .and much more. You also get detailed case studies showing how you can apply recent transit village successes in the U.S., Sweden, Canada and other countries.

    Both the book and exhibition explore the creative ferment of the first half of the century, seeking to reveal and revel in the notion of ambition as an idealized source of energy and inspiration. Paintings, prints, sculptures, and photographs by some of America's most renowned artist - Stieglitz, Georgia O'Keeffe, Man Ray, Edward Hopper, Diane Arbus, Jackson Pollock, and many more - provide a broad overview of expressive interpretations. This magnificently illustrated catalogue includes a preface and introductions to each plate section by Whitney Museum curator Elisabeth Sussman and Corey Keller. In addition, the volume includes a selection of reprinted poems, excerpts, and lyrics by well-known writers, and a lively essay on New York and its artists by Brendan Gill.