Social and Political Organisation

Segregation

At their best, cities are defined by their heterogeneity and diversity. But one of the great paradoxes of urban life is that the apparent freedom of the city is underlaid with complex, often hidden, networks of segregation and exclusion. Some of these are sensible and based on clearly defined and rationally founded principles. Parks are empty of houses, industry and (most) commerce, to create an oasis from the city that surrounds them. Motorways and freeways exclude pedestrians and cycles, who cannot keep to the pace of cars and trucks. Railway and subway lines are separated from the rest of the city, to ensure their smooth running and protect the public. Rainwater is kept apart from sewage in ...