Cities in modernity: representations and production of metropolitan space, 1840-1930

摘要

This monograph is about the production of urban spaces through innovation, renewal and improvement, their 'consumption' through everyday use, and relationships between the two in the years from 1840-1930: a period of quintessential 'high' modernity. Richard Dennis draws principally from his own research as a historical geographer working in London, Toronto and New York. Somewhat in the style of a modern novel, the narrative is interwoven with discussion of the three cities and comparison with others, particularly Paris, Chicago and Montreal. A recurring theme is de Certeau's discussion of panoptic viewing. The modern city is seen from above. Order is discerned, but at the expense of familiarity or intimacy with individual actors. The top-down perspective is contrasted with street-level perceptions of those who are engaged with their immediate surroundings but unable to see what lies beyond.