City in Sight: Dutch Dealings with Urban Change(NICIS Publications on Urban Research)

Huge social transformations and turbulent political events – 9/11 and the political murders of Pim Fortuyn and Theo van Gogh – have put urban issues high on the political agenda of the Netherlands. Against this background, the contributors to this volume bring the city in sight from various disciplinary perspectives and relate their research findings to both national and international debates on urban problems. In this way, City in Sight not only provides insight into the most urgent questions of contemporary cities in the Netherlands, but also how these relate to similar problems in other countries as well. This timely and enlightening volume highlights the latest urban research in the Netherlands.

Table of Contents:
Cities in Sight, Inside Cities: An Introduction 1. Post-Industrialization and Ethnocentrism in Contemporary Dutch Cities: The Effects of Job Opportunities and Residential Segregation 2. Unraveling Neighborhood Effects: Evidence from Two European Welfare States 3. The Effects of State-Led Gentrification in the Netherlands 4. Problematic Areas or Places of Fun? Ethnic Place Marketing in the Multicultural City of Rotterdam 5. Local and Transnational Aspects of Citizenship: Political Practices and Identifications of Middle-class Migrants in Rotterdam 6. A Little Less Conversation, a Little More Action: Real-life Expressions of Vital Citizenship in City Neighborhoods 7. Organize Liberal, Think Conservative: Citizenship in Light Communities 8. ‘Control over the Remote Control’, or How to Handle the ‘Normal’ World? The Policy and Practice of Community Care for People with Psychiatric or Intellectual Disabilities 9. Changing Urban Networks and Gossip: Moroccan Migrant Women’s Networks in the Dutch Welfare State 10. The Relationship Between Policy Governance and Front-line Governance 11. Between Ideals and Pragmatism: Practitioners Working with Immigrant Youth in Amsterdam and Berlin 12. Explaining the Role of Civic Organizations in Neighborhood Co-production 13. The Amsterdam Office Space Tragedy: An Institutional Reflection on Balancing Office Space Development in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Region, The Dutch Orange and the Big Apple: A Comparative Commentary, References, Notes on Contributors, Index.

About the Author :
Jan Willem Duyvendak is sociologist at the University of Amsterdam. He has written a number of books on recent social movements, and is the co-editor of AUP's new book series, Protest and Social Movements.

Review :
This timely and enlightening volume highlights the latest urban research in the Netherlands. From urban citizenship and civic participation to immigrant integration and urban governance, CITY IN SIGHT provides valuable new perspectives on and insightful analysis of urban transformations and challenges in Dutch cities. Nancy Foner, Distinguished Professor of Sociology, Hunter College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York The Cities of the Netherlands, like cities throughout Europe and North America, are undergoing profound changes in terms their of demography, land use and civic life. The fascinating essays in Cities In Sight are required reading for anyone hoping to understand what these changes mean for Dutch cities and urban life in general. Professor Philip Kasinitz, City University of New York Cities, In Sight will be a key resource not only for scholars who are concerned with specifically Dutch patterns of sociospatial development, but to all who are interested in understanding contemporary urban transformations, recent urban policies and the new lines of conflict the latter have generated. Neil Brenner, Professor of Sociology and Metropolitan Studies Director, Metropolitan Studies Program, New York University.