Urbanism in the Digital Age

Offers a groundbreaking perspective on the future of urban studies Urbanism in the Digital Age provides an essential, paradigm-shifting framework for understanding contemporary urban life. Author Mark Gottdiener redefines the study of urbanism by shifting the focus from traditional city-centered models to the Multi-Centered Metropolitan Region (MCMR), a revolutionary approach that integrates regional dynamics, digital media, and socioeconomic structures. This book challenges long-standing theories, critiques dominant neoliberal policies, and provides innovative solutions to critical contemporary issues. Through an interdisciplinary synthesis of Lefebvrian and Castellsian perspectives, Gottdiener dissects the limitations of classical Marxist and city-centric urban theories while presenting new methodologies for analyzing spatial and social problems. Exploring the interplay between digital media, economic forces, and regional development, 14 in-depth chapters incorporate historical analysis, census data, and case studies to illustrate real-world applications. Presenting a bold new vision for addressing spatial inequalities, rethinking governance, and fostering sustainable urban transformation, Urbanism in the Digital Age: Critiques traditional city-centered urban studies and offers a unique and new perspective based on a regional, digital-age approach. Analyzes the impacts of digital media and neoliberal governance on spatial and social inequalities Examines pressing urban crises, such as affordable housing, transportation, racial segregation, climate change, homelessness, and the crisis effects of draconian Neoliberal policies. Proposes innovative policy solutions for urban planning, sustainability, and regional development Investigates the role of architecture, urban planning and thematic environments in shaping urban experiences and fighting climate change. Urbanism in the Digital Age is an indispensable resource for students and scholars in urban studies, sociology, geography, political science, architecture, and urban planning. It is an ideal textbook for undergraduate and graduate courses on urbanism, social problems, and public policy, and a must-read for policymakers and professionals engaged in urban development and regional planning.

Table of Contents:
Preface ix Chapter 1 What’s Wrong with This Picture? 1 The Multi-Centered Metro Region Is the New Spatial Form of Urbanism 4 Lefebvre Anticipates the MCMR 5 Castells Anticipates the Digital Age 6 What Follows 6 Chapter 2 The City Is Dead. Long Live the City 8 The New Form of Urban Space 8 Early Approaches to Regional Multi-Centered Growth: Geddes and Gottmann 9 Metropolitics: One Story of Attempted Regional Policy for the MCMR 10 The Digital Age 13 Chasing After the MCMR by the US Census Over Time 15 Regional Studies as a Better Means of Capturing Social Space 20 Moving On 22 Chapter 3 Henri Lefebvre’s Urbanism: Right and Wrong 23 Lefebvre’s Urbanism Theory 25 The Production of Space: Understanding Why Space Is a Force of Production 28 The Stages of Society and Their Spatial Formations 29 The Second Circuit of Capitalism 31 Capital Logic Theory and Reductionist Marxism 34 The Difference in Returns on Land Between the City and the MCMR 37 The Current Crisis 40 Chapter 4 How the Modernist City of Corporations Transformed into the MCMR 42 Breaking the Ideological Bias Favoring the City 43 The Modern City of Corporate Capitalism 45 The Capitalism of Corporations and the Metropolitan City Form 46 The Burgess Model and Post-war Suburbanization 49 The Chicago School of Sociology 49 The Limited Relevance of Urban Density 53 Mass Suburbanization and the Birth of a Mass Consumer Society 55 The Role of Racism in Mass Suburbanization 57 Mass Suburbanization Leads to the Mass Consumer Society 58 The Shift to the Sunbelt and the Dominance of the MCMR Form 59 The Scale Perspective 62 Chapter 5 How the MCMR Functions as the New Form of Urban Space 68 Deconcentration and Reconcentration—The Dual Forces Creating the MCMR 70 Deconcentration 70 Reconcentration 73 New Spaces of Consumption and Business Anchoring the MCMR 74 The Regional Mall 75 The Airport as a Growth Pole 77 Scientific, Industrial, and Commercial Parks 80 Science and High Tech Mini-centers 81 The Golden Age of Supermarkets, The Commercial Strip: Mini-centers Sustain MCMR Living 81 Theming Sustains Business in the MCMR 83 The MCMR and the Digital Media Revolution 84 Chapter 6 The Space of Flows: Part One: Transportation 86 Poor Public Transportation Is a National Disgrace 87 The Unbelievable Story of Mass Transportation Destruction 87 Creating an Automobile Culture: Power Not Preference Rules the Day 91 Shameful Neglect of Our Historical Mass Transport Legacy 92 Can We Rebalance Our Auto/Mass Transit Society? 93 The Mixed Case of Government Spending on Mass Transit 95 What We Can Learn from Previous Projects Wasting Money and Time 95 High Speed Transport as the New Hope 98 Chapter 7 The Space of Flows: The Digital Age 100 Digital Media and Everyday Life—Negotiating the MCMR Space 102 Manuel Castells and the Network Society 102 Critiques—Relevance to the MCMR 104 Digital Technology and the Smart City 106 Transforming Settlement Space for Smartphone Applications 107 Equality Assessment for Digital Access 108 New Developments Advertising “Wired” Access—the “Smart City” 108 Chapter 8 Affordable Housing and the MCMR 110 The Affordable Housing Crisis 111 What Is the Crisis About? 111 What Are the Causes of Crisis? 113 Housing Speculation and the Truth Inside Lefebvre’s Second Circuit 113 Covid and Inflation as Causes for the Housing Crisis 115 Some Solutions to the Affordable Housing Crisis 117 How the Federal Government Dealt with Housing in the Past-bounty and Corruption Together 118 How Tokyo Created Affordable Housing 121 Some Creative Cases from the US 124 Minneapolis Downzoning 124 Habitat for Humanity 125 Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) 125 How European Cities Created Affordable Rental Housing 126 Chapter 9 The Unhoused Crisis: Shame of a Nation 128 Falling Down the Rabbit Hole of Cruel and Unusual 130 Eviction: Capitalism as Inhumane 131 Some Results of the Study 132 What About Desmond’s Proposed Solutions? 133 Solutions to the Unhoused Crisis: Case Studies 134 UK: Monitoring Is Right and Wrong 134 Finland: A Simple Plan 135 What Worked in Finland Is Attacked in the US 136 Using the MCMR Expanse to Find Shelter for the Unhoused 137 Houston Case Study 137 Cincinnati Case Study 138 The War Against the Unhoused 138 Cities Alone Cannot Bear the Burden 139 Chapter 10 Perpetual Problems: Racism, Segregation, Their Effects, and the MCMR Solution 140 White Racism Is a Cultural Problem; Do Black Culture Changes Help? 141 African American Segregation—the Material Sign of Racism and Poverty 142 The Costs of Involuntary Segregation 142 Measuring Segregation 143 The Taubers 143 Hypersegregation 144 Ghettoization 145 Massey and Denton’s Measure of Isolation 147 The Barrio as Ghetto and Hispanic Segregation 148 Understanding the Barrio 148 Mexican American Urban Removal 149 The Crisis in Mexican American Education 150 The Useless Class and the White, Blue Collar Education Problem 152 Does MCMR Residency Have an Effect on Segregation? 152 Analytical Research of Data says “Yes” 153 America’s MCMRs Are on the Frontline of Racial and Ethnic Neighborhood Change 155 White Racism and the Effect of Central City Gentrification 157 Before and After Covid: Is Gentrification All Bad? 157 Chapter 11 Urban Planning in the MCMR 159 Regional Urban Planning vs. City Urban Planning: Understanding the Differences 160 Defining Regional Urban Planning 160 Defining City Urban Planning 160 The MCMR and Regional Planning 161 The Regional Planning Authority Dilemma 162 Anti-planning Ideologies 163 The Ideology of Privatism 163 Exclusionary Zoning 164 The Ideology of NIMBY 165 How Local Political Control Undercuts Regional Planning 165 Planned Sprawl 166 Zoning and Its Discontents 169 New Urbanism, Old Urbanism, City of the Future: Planning Strategies to Preserve Urban Life 170 New Urban Planning for Pedestrians but Not Local Shops 172 Chapter 12 Architecture and the MCMR – The Crisis of Environmental Sustainability and Landmark Building 173 Urban Heat Islands 173 Environmental Solutions to Mini-center Pollution 174 Climate Change and the Need for Innovation 175 The Important Role of Architecture for Sustainable Building 176 Sustainable Design and Passive Strategies 177 Green Roofs and Walls 177 The Well Building Movement and the European Commission’s New Bauhaus 178 Architecture and the MCMR—Signature Buildings as Landmarks 179 Attracting Consumers to Locations in the MCMR—Themes and Landmarks 180 Signature Architecture vs Landmarks 181 Chapter 13 Public Policy and the MCMR: Political Fragmentation, Social Polarization, and Some Possible Solutions to Regional Governance 186 The Government Eating Itself 187 Fragmentation of Local Government 188 Hung Up by Historical Artifact of Many Local Governments 188 The Lasting Effects of Covid on Regional Governance 190 Failing Infrastructure Cost Outstrips Local Government Resources 190 Some Possible Solutions: 191 Switching to a MCMR Perspective and Using Digital Technology 191 The Need for Professional Local Managers 192 The Mass Immigration Problem Requires a Regional Solution 192 The State vs. City Dilemma Paralyzing Policy Progress 194 An MCMR Solution via “Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration” 195 MSI Morphs to Ethical Considerations 196 Chapter 14 Neoliberalism and Its Failure to Contain Social Problems: The Current Crisis, the Need for Social Action, and the Fallacy of the “Right to the City” 198 The New Regime of Accumulation: Global Capitalism and Neoliberalism 199 Post-1975 Transformation to Neoliberalism—Direct Forms of Intervention for Capital 201 Austerity 202 Why Lefebvre remains important 204 Tax the Super Rich 205 The Right to the City Fallacy and the Importance of Urban Social Movements 206 Castells vs. Lefebvre 207 Bibliography 208 Index 225

About the Author :
MARK GOTTDIENER is Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the State University of New York at Buffalo and a pioneering urban theorist. He developed the socio-spatial perspective on urbanization and is the author of The Social Production of Urban Space and The New Urban Sociology. His influential research on theming, spatial analysis, and urban theory continues to influence urban studies worldwide.