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Against Urbanism
After demolishing the myth of the rock star architect with his book Against Architecture, Franco La Cecla now explores the decisive challenges that cities are going to have to confront in the near future. Urban planning and development has become increasingly inadequate in response to the daily realities of life in our cities. Human, economic, ethnic, and environmental factors are systematically overlooked in city planning and housing development, and anachronistic, sterile, and formalistic architecture almost invariably prevails. Never more than today has democracy played itself out in public spaces, sidewalks, and streets. Urban planners and developers, however, are still prisoners of an obsolete vision of passivity which betrays actual city needs and demands. A new urban science is required which can, first of all, guarantee a civil, dignified life for all—urban development which ensures the right to a humane mode of daily living, which has been and still is completely ignored.
- GenresNonfictionPolitics
144 pages, Paperback
First published March 24, 2015
8 people are currently reading
117 people want to read
About the author
Franco La Cecla
74 books15 followersFranco La Cecla (Palermo, 1950), antropologo e architetto, insegna Antropologia visuale alla NABA e Arte e Antropologia allo IULM di Milano. Ha insegnato Antropologia culturale presso l’Università Vita e Salute San Raffaele di Milano, allo IUAV di Venezia e al DAMS di Bologna. Ha insegnato inoltre all’Università di Berkeley, all’EHESS di Parigi e all’UPC di Barcellona. Il suo documentario In altro mare ha vinto il “San Francisco International Film Festival” nel 2011. Autore di numerosi saggi sulla contemporaneità, ha intrecciato la riflessione antropologica con temi quali lo spazio, l’architettura, l’urbanistica, il genere maschile, i media. Tra i suoi libri ricordiamo: Contro l’urbanistica (Einaudi, 2015) e Ivan Illich e l’arte di vivere (Elèuthera, 2018). Con Stefano Savona ha curato l’installazione Praytime e, con Lucetta Scaraffia, la mostra Pregare, un’esperienza umana, alla Reggia di Venaria (2016). Sempre per Einaudi ha pubblicato Essere amici (2019), il suo ultimo libro è Mente locale (Elèuthera, 2021). Per Einaudi è in uscita il suo Tradire i sentimenti.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 6, 2020
In his work, Against Urbanism, anthropologist Franco La Cecla offers us a thoughtful critique of how cities around the world have been constructed. Without question, he is deeply concerned about the disconnect between the insular handful of people who develop them and the millions of everyday people who must navigate them as part of their daily existence. This rather accessible study (no worries, you will not be mired in academic jargon) focuses on a several of the glaring problems that we must confront to make urban landscapes more habitable.
According to the author, urban planning is exclusionary, in that, administrative officials and members of private firms dominate the process, thereby leaving few opportunities for others to participate. Consequently, the interests of millions of people have been repeatedly neglected. For example, he notes that the social impact assessment in the development of cities is part of a complex, bureaucratic labyrinth where insiders employ a professional currency that leaves most alienated (p. 73). The irony that a small (sometimes neoliberal, p. 98) few decide what is optimal for the great many is important theme that echoes throughout this work. Undoubtedly, the argument is compelling.
Furthermore, cities have a detrimental impact on the environment that cannot be ignored. La Cecla asserts that they are both “perpetrators” and “victims” when it comes to climate change because of the emissions that each of them produces (p. 58). He urges us to consider population density (and perhaps population distribution?) when re-envisioning urban design (p. 60). People simply cannot spend hours commuting in automobiles. The author expresses frustration that the “all-bike systems” common in places like Beijing are being replaced by increased car usage that only leads to more traffic and pollution (p. 60-61).
While La Cecla has given us so much to think about when we visit different cities, here I would like to offer some suggestions. First, mentioning studies is important (e.g. The Evaluation Partnership, p. 72), however including more statistics throughout would strengthen his analysis. If the current practice of urban planning is so misguided, then please share more data that captures the gravity of the situation. Secondly, the case studies of different cities need to be integrated into each chapter to illustrate the chapter’s thesis. At times, it is unclear why they appear when they do not offer additional illumination (e.g. Ragusa Ibla, Italy, p. 103-104). Lastly, every chapter deserves a designated section that offers pragmatic solutions to the problems that have been explored.
After reading this work, I am convinced that we must reevaluate current approaches to building cities because somewhere the human element has been lost. Let us hope that it is not too late to change direction.
According to the author, urban planning is exclusionary, in that, administrative officials and members of private firms dominate the process, thereby leaving few opportunities for others to participate. Consequently, the interests of millions of people have been repeatedly neglected. For example, he notes that the social impact assessment in the development of cities is part of a complex, bureaucratic labyrinth where insiders employ a professional currency that leaves most alienated (p. 73). The irony that a small (sometimes neoliberal, p. 98) few decide what is optimal for the great many is important theme that echoes throughout this work. Undoubtedly, the argument is compelling.
Furthermore, cities have a detrimental impact on the environment that cannot be ignored. La Cecla asserts that they are both “perpetrators” and “victims” when it comes to climate change because of the emissions that each of them produces (p. 58). He urges us to consider population density (and perhaps population distribution?) when re-envisioning urban design (p. 60). People simply cannot spend hours commuting in automobiles. The author expresses frustration that the “all-bike systems” common in places like Beijing are being replaced by increased car usage that only leads to more traffic and pollution (p. 60-61).
While La Cecla has given us so much to think about when we visit different cities, here I would like to offer some suggestions. First, mentioning studies is important (e.g. The Evaluation Partnership, p. 72), however including more statistics throughout would strengthen his analysis. If the current practice of urban planning is so misguided, then please share more data that captures the gravity of the situation. Secondly, the case studies of different cities need to be integrated into each chapter to illustrate the chapter’s thesis. At times, it is unclear why they appear when they do not offer additional illumination (e.g. Ragusa Ibla, Italy, p. 103-104). Lastly, every chapter deserves a designated section that offers pragmatic solutions to the problems that have been explored.
After reading this work, I am convinced that we must reevaluate current approaches to building cities because somewhere the human element has been lost. Let us hope that it is not too late to change direction.
February 23, 2025
This book was definitely written for people already well versed in the subject of urban planning, specifically the different significant philosophies and experts in the field. I often struggled to make sense of a longer sentence that had more than one aside breaking up the main point.
I would have liked to see more direct connections to urban designs or urbanism gone wrong vs right. Several chapters seemed to wander off and never connect back to the thesis.
The readability was best in the sections about specific cities, though sometimes it was unclear if what was being said was a criticism or neutral observation.
The chapters I enjoyed/took the most from were the ones describing how urban planning started, what actually constitutes a city, and how urban planning changed to be about impressing the world looking in vs improving the lives of its citizens. The chapters on slums, sustainability, and street food were also the best examples of contrasting urban planning approaches to specific topics to show the difference in those that prioritized globalism vs citizenry.
They also repeatedly used ‘schizophrenic’ as an adjective for cities doing contradictory things. Which I found tactless and uncreative.
I would have liked to see more direct connections to urban designs or urbanism gone wrong vs right. Several chapters seemed to wander off and never connect back to the thesis.
The readability was best in the sections about specific cities, though sometimes it was unclear if what was being said was a criticism or neutral observation.
The chapters I enjoyed/took the most from were the ones describing how urban planning started, what actually constitutes a city, and how urban planning changed to be about impressing the world looking in vs improving the lives of its citizens. The chapters on slums, sustainability, and street food were also the best examples of contrasting urban planning approaches to specific topics to show the difference in those that prioritized globalism vs citizenry.
They also repeatedly used ‘schizophrenic’ as an adjective for cities doing contradictory things. Which I found tactless and uncreative.
January 17, 2024
Very enlightening but also very short. Each chapter could be a book of its own.
April 25, 2025
Reconsidering life choices (again, but it’s not funny anymore) 🤡
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews