Philosophy and Geography II: The Production of Public Space

by Andrew Light (Editor), Edward S. Casey (Contributor), Ian Chaston (Contributor)

The future of public space is uncertain. Although public spaces have become increasingly shabby and crowded, novel alternatives have appeared in the form of fantastic, semi-public pleasure grounds, developed by well-heeled, crowd-pleasing entrepreneurs and devoted to profit, consumption, and self-indulgence. Philosophers and geographers have converged on the topic of public space, fascinated and in many ways alarmed by fundamental changes in the way post-industrial societies produce space for public use, and in the way citizens of these same societies perceive and constitute themselves as a public. The contributors to this volume advance this inquiry, making extensive use of political and social theory. Philosophy and Geography II: The Production of Public Space gives readers an enhanced appreciation of the intimate connections between political principles, social processes, and the commonplaces of our everyday environments.

Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Andrew Light, Ph.D., is a Senior Fellow at American Progress specializing in climate, energy, and science policy. He coordinates American Progress’s participation in the Global Climate Network, focusing on international climate change policy and the future of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. He is also director of the Center for Global Ethics at George Mason University.

Light is an internationally recognized expert on the relationship between environmental policy and ethics, specializing in restoration ecology, urban ecology, and climate change. He also comments frequently on the ethical and social impacts of new and emerging technologies, such as nanotechnology and synthetic biology. On these topics he has authored, co-authored, and edited 17 books including: Environmental Values (2008); Philosophy and Design (2008); Controlling Technology (2005); Environmental Ethics (2003); Moral and Political Reasoning in Environmental Practice (2003); Technology and the Good Life? (2000); and Environmental Pragmatism (1996). Light is also co-editor of the journal Ethics, Place, and Environment.

Light is a frequent advisor to various agencies on the ethical dimensions of environmental and technology policy, including the U.S. Forest Service, the National Parks Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the National Science Foundation. He is currently working on questions of fairness and equity in national and international regimes for climate regulation and the social impacts of new energy technologies.

His doctoral work was at the University of California at Riverside and UCLA in ethics and public policy, and he completed a three-year postdoctoral fellowship in environmental risk assessment in the School of Medicine at the University of Alberta.