Critical Cities: Ideas, Knowledge and Agitation from Emerging Urbanists: 1 [Paperback]

Every mayor should read this! Especially in Romania! --http://www.dezeen.com/2009/10/13/competition-five-copies-of-critical-cities-to-be-won/#comments

Includes compelling essays about public space in relation to park benches, local cafes and Bollywood cinemas all of which contain more meaning and beauty than any Gormley is likely to give us...the intellectual and artistic power of people who are involved in contemporary debate about public space should be. --Keiran Long, Editor, Architects Journal 29.10.09

Critical Cities does not attempt to give answers to issues afflicting London s urban environment, nor does it preach a way to reshape the city. It has been written with the intention of reaching an audience beyond architects and urban planners. This is made manifest in the broad range of contributors, from the cover image of a pixelated cloudy sky by illustrator and designer Karolin Schnoor, to the lucid introduction by Burdett and the five essays by Naik and Oldfield, which set the scene for each section. The book is filled with facts and ideas, and resists academic form and terminology, which can be exclusive... Critical Cities is an essential read, which provides a clear and honest approach to issues inextricably linked to the built environment and most importantly, on a human scale. --Blueprint Magazine Dec 2009 review by Gian Luca Amedei

While cities are expanding, 'gateway's' into official discourses have narrowed. In response, the contributions to this anthology prise open the urban field, making its complexities explicit, and allowing new and divergent ideas, practices and sites of knowledge to surface. Collectively they suggest the need for, and potential of, a transformation in our approaches to new urban realities, through a timely injection of optimism, creativity, rigour and collaboration. Critical Cities: Ideas, Knowledge and Agitation is the first in a series of books produced by urban platform This Is Not A Gateway, in association with independent publisher Myrdle Court Press. It brings together a collection of critical papers, visual essays, transcripts of recorded conversations and actions by emerging urbanists. The publication draws its contributors from a wide variety of fields, including law, architecture, film, community organising, art and academia.

While cities are expanding, 'gateway's' into official discourses have narrowed. In response, the contributions to this anthology prise open the urban field, making its complexities explicit, and allowing new and divergent ideas, practices and sites of knowledge to surface. Collectively they suggest the need for, and potential of, a transformation in our approaches to new urban realities, through a timely injection of optimism, creativity, rigour and collaboration.

Critical Cities: Ideas, Knowledge and Agitation is the first in a series of books produced by urban platform This Is Not A Gateway, in association with independent publisher Myrdle Court Press. It brings together a collection of critical papers, visual essays, transcripts of recorded conversations and actions by emerging urbanists. The publication draws its contributors from a wide variety of fields, including law, architecture, film, community organising, art and academia.

This Is Not A Gateway {TINAG} is a not for profit organisation that creates arenas/platforms for those whose point of reference is the city. Working across disciplines, TINAG fosters inter-cultural dialogue and rigorous production through four strands: Festivals, Salons, Publications and Library & Archive.