Slow Burn City: London in the Twenty-First Century
London has become the global city above all others. Money from all over the world flows through it; its land and homes are tradable commodities; it is a nexus for the world's migrant populations, rich and poor. Versions of what is happening in London are happening elsewhere, but London has become the best place to understand the way the world's cities are changing. Some of the transformations London has undergone were creative, others were destructive; this is not new. London has always been a city of trade, exploitation, and opportunity. But London has an equal history of public interventions, including the Clean Air Act, the invention of the green belt and council housing, and the innovation of the sewers and embankments that removed the threat of cholera. In each case the response was creative and unprecedented; they were also huge in scale and often controversial. The city must change, of course, but Moore explains why it should do so with a "slow burn," through the interplay of private investment, public good, and legislative action. Fiercely intelligent, thought-provoking, lucidly written, and often outrageously and uncomfortably funny, Slow Burn City is packed with fascinating stories about the physical fabric of London in the 21st century. But by seeing this fabric as the theater of social and cultural struggles, Moore connects the political and architectural decisions of London's enfeebled and reactive government with the built environment that affects its inhabitants' everyday lives. In this urgent and necessary book, Moore makes a passionate case for London to invent new ways to respond to the pressures of the present, from which other cities could learn.
1124895827
Slow Burn City: London in the Twenty-First Century
London has become the global city above all others. Money from all over the world flows through it; its land and homes are tradable commodities; it is a nexus for the world's migrant populations, rich and poor. Versions of what is happening in London are happening elsewhere, but London has become the best place to understand the way the world's cities are changing. Some of the transformations London has undergone were creative, others were destructive; this is not new. London has always been a city of trade, exploitation, and opportunity. But London has an equal history of public interventions, including the Clean Air Act, the invention of the green belt and council housing, and the innovation of the sewers and embankments that removed the threat of cholera. In each case the response was creative and unprecedented; they were also huge in scale and often controversial. The city must change, of course, but Moore explains why it should do so with a "slow burn," through the interplay of private investment, public good, and legislative action. Fiercely intelligent, thought-provoking, lucidly written, and often outrageously and uncomfortably funny, Slow Burn City is packed with fascinating stories about the physical fabric of London in the 21st century. But by seeing this fabric as the theater of social and cultural struggles, Moore connects the political and architectural decisions of London's enfeebled and reactive government with the built environment that affects its inhabitants' everyday lives. In this urgent and necessary book, Moore makes a passionate case for London to invent new ways to respond to the pressures of the present, from which other cities could learn.
17.95 In Stock
Slow Burn City: London in the Twenty-First Century

Slow Burn City: London in the Twenty-First Century

by Rowan Moore
Slow Burn City: London in the Twenty-First Century

Slow Burn City: London in the Twenty-First Century

by Rowan Moore

Paperback

$17.95 
  • SHIP THIS ITEM
    Qualifies for Free Shipping
  • PICK UP IN STORE
    Check Availability at Nearby Stores

Related collections and offers


Overview

London has become the global city above all others. Money from all over the world flows through it; its land and homes are tradable commodities; it is a nexus for the world's migrant populations, rich and poor. Versions of what is happening in London are happening elsewhere, but London has become the best place to understand the way the world's cities are changing. Some of the transformations London has undergone were creative, others were destructive; this is not new. London has always been a city of trade, exploitation, and opportunity. But London has an equal history of public interventions, including the Clean Air Act, the invention of the green belt and council housing, and the innovation of the sewers and embankments that removed the threat of cholera. In each case the response was creative and unprecedented; they were also huge in scale and often controversial. The city must change, of course, but Moore explains why it should do so with a "slow burn," through the interplay of private investment, public good, and legislative action. Fiercely intelligent, thought-provoking, lucidly written, and often outrageously and uncomfortably funny, Slow Burn City is packed with fascinating stories about the physical fabric of London in the 21st century. But by seeing this fabric as the theater of social and cultural struggles, Moore connects the political and architectural decisions of London's enfeebled and reactive government with the built environment that affects its inhabitants' everyday lives. In this urgent and necessary book, Moore makes a passionate case for London to invent new ways to respond to the pressures of the present, from which other cities could learn.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781447270201
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Publication date: 06/01/2017
Pages: 544
Product dimensions: 5.00(w) x 7.75(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

Rowan Moore is the architecture critic for the Observer and previously for the Evening Standard. He is also a trained architect, and between 2002 and 2008 was the Director of the Architecture Foundation. He is the author of Why We Build.

Table of Contents

Map viii

Prologue 1

Made By Trade

1 City of the Present 9

2 The Disembodied Economy, Embodied 34

3 New Sybaris 74

The Public Good

4 Water 103

5 Fire, Air, Nature 131

6 Darkness 167

Das Englische Haus

7 Exile 195

8 At Home in London 223

9 The Values of Value 266

Smart City, Dumb City

Note on Planning 293

10 Mipimism 297

11 Public and Publoid 330

12 You've been Heatherwicked 357

City of Ten Million

13 Subtle Substances 407

14 You Burned Your Own Town 439

15 Slow Burn City 474

List of Illustrations 495

Bibliography and Sources 502

Acknowledgements 513

Index 515

From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews