The SAGE Key Concepts series provides students with accessible and authoritative knowledge of the essential topics in a variety of disciplines. Cross-referenced throughout, the format encourages critical evaluation through understanding.

Written by experienced and respected academics, the books are indispensable study aids and guides to comprehension.

Key Concepts in Urban Studies:

Clearly and concisely explains the basic ideas in the interdisciplinary field of urban studies; Offers concise discussions of concepts ranging from community, neighbourhood, and the city to globalization, the New Urbanism, feminine space, and urban problems; Constitutes a re-examination of the key ideas in the field; Is illustrated throughout with international examples; Provides an essential reference guide for all students and teachers across the urban disciplines within sociology, political science, planning and geography.

Postmodern and Modern Urbanism

Postmodern and modern urbanism

The concepts of a ‘postmodern’ city and, relatedly, a ‘postmodern’ urbanism have been weakly argued, despite the popularity of the term postmodern and its more specific applicability to a type of architecture. Urbanists claiming a postmodern perspective simply translate mundane observations into their own special language that at times are just silly neologisms or at other times are references to specific postmodern concepts that may be out of place. For example, is it really necessary to observe with Ed Soja that the tall buildings located in downtown LA provide a panopticonic gaze? By using this term, does that make Los Angeles a ‘postmodern city’ in the way that other cities with tall buildings are not? Is the concept of ‘panoptic’ used correctly? Is this roof view anything like the ...

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