Against Urbanism

The author of Against Architecture turns his critical lens to urban planning. He travels to cities around the world, from Fukuoka to Istanbul, Minsk to Jogjakarta, engaging with academic rigor and an anthropologist's curiosity with the question of what the discipline of urban planning has wrought on the world's cities and where it went so wrong. He recommends that city leaders spend more time truly observing and living the reality of the cities their work affects and take a more human, body-centered approach to decision making, counteracting gentrification and considering implementing social impact assessments (in lieu of often-empty community comment periods) to make decisions that truly center the needs of ordinary people.