Urban geography Flashcards
Who came up with the concept of complete urbanisation?
Henri Lefebvre (2003)
How has complete urbanisation been adopted recently?
Brenner (2013) planetary globalisation
What interesting things does complete urbanisation uncover?
- Makes us think about what “being urban” or “urban effects” means
- URBAN NOT AS A PLACE, BUT A PROCESS/ABSTRACT IDEA
What is nature and what is natural?
- Also useful for understanding how urban areas rely upon infrastructure (metabolism of capitalism) beyond what conventional urban boundaries
(Brenner 2013)
What is complete (/planetary) urbanisation?
- Urban is too frequently viewed as a discrete space.
- Complete urbanisation is when “the urban” is everywhere
- The epitome of modernism, according to Lefebvre (2003)
(Brenner 2013)
What is the “urban fabric” (Lefebvre, 2003)?
The way in which urbanisation extends into rural areas beyond what are usually viewed as “urban areas”
(Lefebvre, 2003)
What is meant by “the urban”?
An abbreviation of urban society
Name a good paper on the ontological categorisation of cities worldwide
Robinson, 2002 (epistemologies, ontologies and methods of studying cities globally)
Why are world cities problematic?
Capitalist economic metrics of wealth and economic growth
Robinson, 2002
Who formulated the concept of “world cities”? Why is this interesting?
King (1990) formulated world cities. Since been inappropriately used - King saw every city as a world city because of globalisation
Who has been critical of “subaltern” urbanism?
Roy (2011)
What does Roy (2011) discuss?
- Romanticisation of slums in third world countries
- Role of capitalism in obtaining slums as a place for investment (cheap, unused land)
What is interesting about Koolhaas’ (2002) study of Lagos?
- Romanticises slums, suggesting that they have achieved a pinnacle of capitalism (based on asymptotes on graphs, see Gandy, 2004)
- Slums seen as a site of entrepreneurialism
Why is “slumdog” an inappropriate term for those living in poorer parts of cities in the “developing world”?
- Mumbai slum dwellers don’t like the term
- “Poverty pornography”
Roy 2011
What are the origins of the subaltern?
A Marxian term against colonialism (Roy, 2011)
What is interesting about the subaltern?
It has a dualism:
1) “Archival recognition” (of poverty and colonialism)
2) “An agent of change” (political aspects)
(Roy, 2011)
How does Soto (2000) see slums?
“Dead capital” needing to be liquified - good links to frontier thesis! (Soto, 2000)
Why are gangs important in Slums?
Link informal economy of sums to the formal economy (Weinstein, 2008)
How has the notion of peripheries changed?
- Peripheries not just geographically outside of cities or in suburbs
- Increasingly within cities, esp degraded spaces (slums)
- Being ‘in’ the periphery can be politically advantageous (Simone,2010)
- A politics from below - GOOD LINKS TO CULTUREAL GEO
(Roy, 2011)
How has the conceptualisation of informality been critiqued by Roy, 2011?
- Informal previously equated with poverty
- Informality is not confined to the slum
- (in)formality is epistemologically linked to law, determined by dominant classes in cities
- Poverty and informal can be mutually exclusive
Roy, 2011
When did Engels write the condition? How does it relate to urban nature?
Translated in 1987 - a big focus on waste and wastelands
What is a good paper on botanical gardens and biotic colonialism?
Baber, 2016
Give a good quote from Baber 2016 that is symbolic of plants being direct decedents of colonialism
“Botanic gardens constituted one of the key sites – physical, intellectual, social and cultural – in which colonial power was literally rooted”
Baber, 2016
What does urban political ecology focus on?
Urban metabolism
Give a paper that focusses on the internal/homeostatic aspects of urban metabolism in an urban political ecology framework
Rademacher, 2015
Give a paper that focusses on the metabolic rift in an urban political ecology framework
Swyngedouw 2003
What is a limitation of complete urbanisation?
- Cities are felt, experienced and understood in different ways
- Urban natures are unique in the dense built environment
(Rademacher, 2015)
What is a good paper on the study of urban nature as a lab?
Francis, et al., 2012 - “Urban ecosystems as ‘natural’ homes for biogeographical boundary crossings”
Why is Philol (1995)’s historiographic analysis of animals in cities interesting? What dilemmas does it raise?
- Shows that nature used to be more commonly accepted in cities, but now seen as separate and solely for rural areas
- Slaughterhouses seen as disgusting places; miasmic discourses and likening to owners
- Ironic aspects with complete urbanisation and animals still consumed and slaughtered in urban areas
Philol, 1995)
Is content or form more important in landscapes?
Form more important than content in landscapes (Tan, 2016 - based on Shanshui paintings)
What does Tan, 2016, raise awareness of regarding urban nature?
- Material aspects of urban nature are an important epistemological aspect - determines how natural/genuine it is (fake rocks)
- Landscape representations mainly about form, not composition
- Landscape representations are read from side to side
- Nature not always historically or scientifically conceived
Tan, 2016
Are urban natures confined to biological natures?
No, a political ecological approach highlights the role of water in infrastructures. Also contradictions of nature being separated from urban areas whilst rain/air continually flows through
CITATION?
Why is the historical separation of nature from cities significant?
Urban areas are now seen as ontologically pristine and human. Nature must be controlled (Gandy, 2020)
What is the main premise behind Wolch’s Zoopolis (1996)?
Main premise to encourage nature to return to cities and to “renaturalise” the idea of nature in cities as a discourse
Wolch, 1996
Interesting regarding the current obsession of rewilding rural areas of the UK and Europe etc
Why is studying urban nature important?
Allows the discursive barrier and separation of nature and culture to be broken down, facilitating renaturalisation (Wolch, 1996)
Why is a homogenised nature important to capitalism?
Allows environmental issues to be overlooked (O’Connor’s “second contradiction of capitalism”)
What is a good text on the importance of studying “urban areas” (or cash nexuses) in a completely urbanised world (Lefebvre, 2003)?
Wirth 1938 - urbanism as a way of life
What is a good source for “cities as a solution” (modern urban ecology) discourse?
Angelo and Wachsmuth, 2020
What is a good source for the “filthyness” of nature in cities, especially regarding the political ecology of disease etc?
Kearns, 1991: Cholera, nuisances and environmental management in Islington, 1830–55
Why is ironic that the crystal palace dinosaurs are at risk of extinction?
Strange simulacra could disappear from the park… primordial/theme park aspects too (Anderson, 1995)
From time out 2020
What is a seminal paper on urban ecology for the benefit of humans?
McPhearson, et al., 2016
What does a “science of cities” (McPhearson, et al., 2016) involve?
- A holistic approach incorporating both nature and humans in the study of urban ecosystems
- Important implications for climate change
- Hazard mitigation
(McPhearson, et al., 2016)
What does a “science of cities” (McPhearson, et al., 2016) overlook?
- Science of cities = objective, empirical and from above
- Overlooks construction of natures (and the corresponding contemporary normalisation of natures outside of cities) and the phenomenological aspects of natural experience
- OVERLOOKS SEPARATION AND URBAN NATURE CONTRADICTIONS
(McPhearson, et al., 2016)
Give a good quote on the question of urban separation
“the city was [and still is?] nature’s opposite, defined by the extent to which nature was excluded” (Rademacher, 2015)
What is a good paper on green spaces and gentrification?
Draus, et al., 2020
Why do wastelands have beneficial economic consequences?
Non-design is beginning to be appreciated more, with a “ripple effect on surrounding communities” (Draus, et al., 2020)
Despite the benefits of normalising wasteland natures along green corridors in Detroit, are the natures genuine?
The natures are simulacra of genuine urban wastelands, which is of significance because the underlying composition is important
(Based on Draus, et al., 2020)
What is a good text on community involvement in green development?
Ioannou, et al., 2016 - grassroots gardening movements
Give a good quote on parks for biopower (Foucault, 1973)?
“The provision of public recreation grounds is NOT A MERE QUESTION OF ORNAMENTAL PHILANTHROPY …it is also a vital question of social ECONOMY AND EFFICIENCY”. (Metropolitan Public Garden, Boulevard, and Playground Association, 1883)
What is a good text for the history of parks in the UK?
Jones, 2016. History of public park funding and management (1820-2010
Esp. good for “shareholders” and partial incorporation
What is a good text for London parks and simulacrums?
Amherst, 2014
Who made elaborate sanky diagrams in a functionalist urban ecology framework?
Paul Duvigneaud (covered in Danneels, 2018)
What are two interesting points about Duvigneaud’s work?
1) Identified urban metabolism from an urban ecology perspective
2) Ideologically-driven
(Danneels, 2018)
What is interesting about zoos in urban areas?
- Zoos to bring wild to urban areas, yet contained and controlled
- A relative wild superimposed on an ‘unnatural’ landscape
(Addressed in Anderson, 1995)
How was colonialism reflected in zoos (extension for botanical gardens!)?
“These exhibits served as emblems of colonial mastery over the animal world, the former becoming more impressive, it seems, the more exotic the subdued creatures” (Anderson, 1995)
- Zoos also site of entertainment for profit!
What is a good paper from the functionalist Baltimore school of urban ecology?
Alberti, 2005: The effects of urban patterns on ecosystem function
What is a good text on wasteland natures and “non-design”?
Gandy 2013
What is a good text on spaces of urban natures used for different purposes?
Gandy 2012 (Queer ecology in Abney park cemetery)
What is a good text on politics (in the context of autonomous equality) and aesthetics, as well as commodity fetishism?
Rancière, 2015: Dissensus: On politics and aesthetics
What does Di Palma cover in “Wasteland: A history” (2014)?
The historical, classical, entomological and biblical origins of wastelands, especially regarding disgust
What does picturesque mean?
- Defined by Whatley as “after the manner of the painter” (Di Palma, 2015)
- First used in Wye valley by William Gilpinin 1782
- Sets requirements for what makes a picturesque landscape
(Di Palma, 2015)
What is a good text for landscape representations?
Daniels, 2004. Landscape and art - is landscape art?
What is the difference between “infrastructure as landscape” and “landscape as infrastructure”? (Gandy, 2020)
“infrastructure as landscape” - incidental places next to railways and roads etc
“landscape as infrastructure” - Parks which fulfil a purpose for biopolitical reasons
Gandy 2020
What does landscape mean from its origins?
“seeing space from a distance” (Gandy, 2011)
When did Ballard write concrete island?
1973 - good links to psychogeography
How could landforms from physical geography be applied to human geography for beneficial purposes?
- Study of landforms includes the geomorphic processes which shape them in physical geography
- Could be used in human geography to uncover what is put into landscape components (uncovering Williams’ “Pastoral”)
What is a good paper on infrastructure and place attachment in the developing world?
Amin, 2014. Lively infrastructure
Why is hidden infrastructure important?
Hidden infrastructure allows the urban metabolism (complete urbanisation) of capitalism to continue unchecked, ensuring a technological sublime (Gandy, 2011)
What are the two ways of studying urban metabolism, according to Gandy (2004)?
1) Functional analyses - circulatory, based on homeostasis
2) Historical materialist perspectives - based on capital circulation across entire urban fabric
(Gandy, 2004)
How does disease and epidemiology relate to cities?
Diseases are “biological protagonists” (Gandy, 2004) with their own agency, capable of shaping cities through subsequent alterations and improvements to urban sanitation. Biopolitical aspects too
What is a good paper on water infrastructure in relation to materialistic urban metabolism in the North and South?
Gandy, 2004
How does Gandy conceptualise the modern city in terms of urban metabolism?
A more homeostatic form of urban metabolism
Who suggested that light from cities is symbolic of capitalism?
Lefebvre 2003
What does circadian mean?
A biological process concerning the 24-hour cycle for organisms unimpaired by light changes
Name 5 interesting aspects of light covered in Gandy 2017
1) Spatial and temporal differences in luminescence
2) Work and light (noted by Marx)
3) Light killing organisms
4) Metabolic rift of gas and LED lighting
5) Political ecology -> political astronomy (?) of dark sky reserves
Gandy 2017
What is the derive?
The SOCIAL (not political; Smith, 2010) experience of places (intentionally or otherwise ordered)
Why is the use of monochrome in La Haine (1995) significant?
Same colour contrast between Banlieus and Paris city centre - paradoxes of republican inequality
Why is the Bosnian civil war footage (on a tv) in La Haine (1995) ironic?
Civil war in France at the time
What is significant about Dickec (2011)?
The way places are conceptualised affects policy implementation (Dickec, 2011)
Name 3 key ideas from Dickec 2011
1) States statements shaping conceptualisation, spatially reinforced
2) The role of the Police, sociologically speaking
3) Exacerbation of conceptualisation and inequalities
Dickec 2011
