This book argues that the concepts of lsquo;neoliberalismrsquo; and lsquo;neoliberalisation;rsquo; while in common use across the whole range of social sciences; have thus far been generally overlooked in planning theory and the analysis of planning practice. Offering insights from papers presented during a conference session at a meeting of the Association of American Geographers in Boston in 2008 and a number of commissioned chapters; this book fills this significant hiatus in the study of planning. What the case studies from Africa; Asia; North-America and Europe included in this volume have in common is that they all reveal the uneasy cohabitation of lsquo;planningrsquo; ndash; some kind of state intervention for the betterment of our built and natural environment ndash; and lsquo;neoliberalismrsquo; ndash; a belief in the superiority of market mechanisms to organize land use and the inferiority of its opposite; state intervention. Planning; if anything; may be seen as being in direct contrast to neoliberalism; as something that should be rolled back or even annihilated through neoliberal practice. To combine lsquo;neoliberalrsquo; and lsquo;planningrsquo; in one phrase then seems awkward at best; and an outright oxymoron at worst. To admit to the very existence or epistemological possibility of lsquo;neoliberal planningrsquo; may appear to be a total surrender of state planning to market superiority; or in other words; the simple acceptance that the management of buildings; transport infrastructure; parks; conservation areas etc. beyond the profit principle has reached its limits in the 21st century. Planning in this case would be reduced to a mere facilitator of lsquo;market forcesrsquo; in the city; be it gentle or authoritarian. Yet in spite of these contradictions and outright impossibilities; planners operate within; contribute to; resist or temper an increasingly neoliberal mode of producing spaces and places; or the revival of profit-driven changes in land use. It is this contradiction between the serving of private profit-seeking interests while actually seeking the public betterment of cities that this volume has sought to describe; explore; analyze and make sense of through a set of case studies covering a wide range of planning issues in various countries. This book lays bare just how spatial planning functions in an age of market triumphalism; how planners respond to the overruling profit principle in land allocation and what is left of non-profit driven developments.
2011-06-17 2011-06-17File Name: B00F5VY1DG
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Useful.By Connecticut Bookieclear instruction - very good reference book.39 of 42 people found the following review helpful. Not the best book for learning these principlesBy Debbie"The Watercolor Course Youve Always Wanted" is a watercolor instruction book. The author assumed that you have a basic understanding of how to paint with watercolor. However; this book is unlikely to contain much new for people who have read several books on the topic.She covered information like: seeing with an artists eye by finding the major chunks of light; dark; and medium color in a potential painting; using a full range of value in a painting; mixing color to get the desired results; using bright against dull color or light against dark color to draw attention; how to hold the brush for a "loose" look; choosing a horizontal or vertical format; what type of watercolor paper to use; suggesting texture through paper choice; spattering; scraping; stamping; or sprinkling (salt); and creating mood through light and subject matter.Much of the book is demonstration rather than explanation. The finished demonstration paintings are so "loose" that a beginner has a good chance at attaining a similar result. However; if you like to know exactly what pigments were mixed to get what specific color and how that was brushed on the paper; then youll be frustrated with the vague instructions. Before she even covered color mixing; she talked about mixing pigments--for example; ultramarine; phthalo blue; and alizarin crimson for a wash across the lower sky area--with little more instruction than that.Some of the demonstrations were decent at showing the principle she was teaching. Others were less so; like the demonstration where she used spattering; scraping; stamping; and sprinkling. She used all of these techniques at the final stage of the demonstration; but I couldnt find some of them; like marks from sprinkling; and I was uncertain what parts were sponged. Basically; Ive read other watercolor books that cover the same topics (and more) in a way that I found easier to understand and apply on my own.I received this book as a review copy from the publisher.1 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Title says it allBy Kindle CustomerNot just another watercolor instruction book. Important qualities of good painting are clearly explained and illustrated. In my opinion; probably better for painters with a little experience.