Small Change The Art of Practice and the Limits of Planning in Cities

About this book

This book is an argument for the wisdom of the street, the ingenuity of the improvisers and the long-term, large-scale effectiveness of immediate, small-scale actions. Written by the guru of urban participatory development, this book brings over three decades of experience and knowledge to bear on the question of 'what is practice'? Through an easy-to-read narrative style and using examples from the North and South, the author answers this question and others, looking at what knowledge, competencies and ways of thinking are fundamental to skilful practice in urban development. This is powerful, informed, critical and inspiring reading for practitioners in the field and students and teachers of urban development in all contexts and all places.

Contents

Introduction: Design, Emergence and Somewhere In-between; Part I: The Setting; Street Work and Dev-talk: Who Controls the Truth? Part II: Practice Encounters; Departures and Arrivals; The Composting Bin: Looking for Starters; Power Points, Bullet Points and Waste Collectors: Learning from Precedent; Needs and Rights: Some Formal Planning; In Search of Community and the Structure of Place; The Bus Stop: Cultivating Community; Pickers, Sorters and Tap Attendants; The Pickle Jar; Part III: Learning Practice; Plan-Analyse-Survey: Planning from Back to Front; Governance and Networks: Organizing from Inside Out; Rigour and Relevance: It Can be Both; Playing Games - Serious Games; Bibliography, Index

Customer Reviews

Biography

Nabeel Hamdi is Director, Centre for Development and Emergency Planning (CENDEP), Oxford Brookes University and the author of four books and dozens of articles and project reports