Search Results

This course examines how power operates in cities through both top-down and bottom-up approaches to urbanism. The influence of governments, planners, and developers on the shaping of cities through policies, buildings, and large-scale infrastructure will be explored. It will also explore how community groups, activists, and informal networks exert influence from the ground up to define or redefine the city. The course frames activism not just as protest but as an evolving practice of stewardship, imagination, and collective ownership of the city through case studies, readings and critical discussions. Class content will look to assess how these competing modes of power interact, clash, and collaborate, revealing the complex world of making change in civic life.