This module will look at urban contradictions and the ways planners have attempted to manage them. We will read, discuss, and reflect on theory, and examine and critique cases of managed urban contradictions across geographies.
We will discuss what we mean by contradictions generally and urban contradictions specifically, and consider what it means to understand urban spaces and urban space production through a lens of simultaneously present opposing forces (Harvey 2014).
Furthermore, we will explore key urban contradictions. For instance, we will look into what Richard Foglesong in 1986 called the ‘property’ and ‘capitalist-democracy’ contradictions, i.e. the tension between social function and private ownership/control of urban space, as well as between socialising control over urban land and truly democratising it. Other contradictions we will explore include the tension between sustainability and development.
We will consider the possibility of overcoming opposition through innovation and thus finding common ground and ways towards non-antagonistic shared futures. Crucially, we will ruminate on the possibility of (co-)producing shared spaces and common ground through commoning and struggles for the right to the city. In doing so, we will not lose sight of planners’ role in managing contradictions and shaping the prospect of common ground.
Finally, we will study concrete cases of urban contradictions and their management by planners in students’ hometowns.
The module aims to develop core knowledge and skills required to understand and critically analyse the contradictory forces that shape urban spaces and urban space production. It also aims to engender an appreciation of the role of planners and planning in managing these contradictions, often at the cost of disadvantaged or subaltern groups.
