Urban Now

John Rennie Short, Emeritus Professor, School of Public Policy, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, US

‘The Urban Now is a brilliant synthesis of John Rennie Short’s recent work that covers the gambit of topics like globalization, climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the informal economy while weaving in wonderful chapters to connect our daily experiences of the city in all its magic and its dangers. This book, just one of Short’s latest greatest hits, is a journey through, for example, the urban imaginary of the Weimar Bauhaus project, the resilience of informal communities in different cities, the perils of traffic and, in contrast, the joy of walking the city. Despite the various crises and problems discussed in the book, it is remarkably positive and, writing with characteristic clarity and buoyancy, Short demonstrates yet again his wonderful ability to make what can be complicated, accessible and a joy to read.’

• Contents: 1 The urban moment PART I URBAN IMAGINARIES 2 Imaginaries of the urban now 3 Imaginaries of City and Nature 4 Suburban imaginaries 5 The legacy of the Weimar Bauhaus for the urban now PART II GLOBALIZATIONS AND THE CITY 6 Globalization and its discontents 7 Global cities 8 From global cities to gateway cities 9 City marketing in an era of globalization 10 Urban mega-events and globalization 11 The second Gilded Age 12 The new middle class in the global South PART III CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE CITY 13 Cities and climate change 14 Cities in a time of rapid climate change 15 A perfect storm: climate change and network failure 16 Fire at the urban‒wilderness interface PART IV COVID-19 AND THE CITY 17 The city in the time of COVID-19 18 Traffic in the postpandemic city 19 The informal economy in the postpandemic city 20 The convivial city PART V CITIES AND TRAFFIC 21 No accident: traffic in the modern city 22 Dangerous cities 23 Unwilling to pay 24 Congestion pricing 25 The silent epidemic on wheels PART VI CITIES OF THE URBAN NOW 26 The liquid city of Megalopolis 27 The creative postcolonial city 28 Reimagined city: Syracuse, New York 29 Informal city: Cali, Colombia 30 Informal cities: Nigeria PART VII LIFE IN THE URBAN NOW 31 The age of distraction in the city 32 Social inclusion in the city 33 Does the city make you fat? 34 Security and safety in the city 35 Walking in the city A very brief guide to further reading References Index