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Essays on the Political Economy of Urban FormSeries

This series delves into the intricate connections between urbanism, political economy, and societal structures. It critically examines how economic forces and political decisions shape the physical form and social dynamics of cities. Through diverse theoretical frameworks and real-world case studies, these volumes offer profound insights into urban development, informality, and the challenges of contemporary city life. It is essential reading for understanding the evolving nature of urban environments.

Empower!
Collectivize!
Informalize!

Recommended Reading Order

  1. 1

    Informalize!

    Essays on the Political Economy of Urban Form

    • 142 pages
    • 5 hours of reading
    3.4(11)Add rating

    Informalize! is the first book in the Essays on the Political Economy of Urban Form series developed at WERK 11, a research hub of the ETH Zurich bringing together the various fields that have an impact on today’s urban conditions. Edited by Marc Angélil and Rainer Hehl, this collection of four essays presents a cross-section of urban informality drawing on broader theoretical frameworks as well as case studies from Casablanca, Belgrade, and the Global South. Reading the city of yesterday as the physical manifestation of the failure of the urban economy to meet the needs of a growing population, Informalize! turns to the city of today and tomorrow as the representation of a paradigmatic shift toward new social, political, and economic orders and ways of collecting and applying urban knowledge. With contributions by Ananya Roy (University of California, Berkeley), Fran Tonkiss (London School of Economics), Milica Topalovic (ETH Studio Basel), and Tom Avermaete (Delft University of Technology).

    Informalize!
  2. 2

    Collectivize!

    Essays on the Political Economy of Urban Form

    • 144 pages
    • 6 hours of reading

    Collectivize!, the second book in the Essays on the Political Economy of Urban Form series, developed at ETH Zurich’s WERK 11 and edited by Marc Angélil and Rainer Hehl, revisits the idea of the “common.” By taking the reader on a trip through built social experiments and fictional utopias, this collection of four essays considers the role of collective organization and identity in an increasingly individualized world. Robert Owen’s New Harmony, the kibbutz in Israel, and North Korea provide case studies for the book, which are complemented with a theoretical exploration of the practice of “commoning” and how it relates to the middle class. With contributions by Massimo De Angelis, University of East London; Jesse Le Cavalier, ETH Zurich; Arno Brandlhuber and Christian Posthofen, Akademie der Bildenden Künste Nürnberg; and Zvi Efrat, Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design Jerusalem.

    Collectivize!
  3. 3

    Empower!

    Essays on the Political Economy of Urban Form

    • 152 pages
    • 6 hours of reading
    3.0(2)Add rating

    The third volume in the Essays on the Political Economy of Urban Form series, Empower! addresses contemporary power relations and their effects on urban and natural landscapes in the age of the Anthropocene, a nascent geological epoch defined by human activity. In order to better grasp the role of architecture and planning today, the publication explores urban transformations through the added lens of political ecology. Understanding the political, economic, and social factors of humanity’s profound effects on the biosphere not only illuminates the interests underpinning environmental change, but also points to more sustainable ways of securing the great amount of resources that rapid urbanization cannot be sustained without. Edited by Marc Angélil and Rainer Hehl, the book explores geopolitics in the Amazon, infrastructural subtraction in Ecuador, circulatory urbanism in Mumbai, and urban development on Brazil’s frontier. With contributions by Paulo Tavares (Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador), Keller Easterling (Yale University, New Haven), Matias Echanove and Rahul Srivastava (Institute for Urbanology, Mumbai/Goa) and Rainer Hehl (ETH Zurich, TU Berlin).

    Empower!