In this interview with Marxist scholar David Harvey, Aaron Leonard discusses the author's new book, "Rebel Cities: From the Right to the City to the Urban Revolution."
Writing for the Canadian progressive news site Rabble.ca, Leonard asks Harvey about what Marxist urban analysis reveals about the role of cities in anti-capitalist struggles. In his new book, "Rebel Cities", Harvey argues that there has always been a "terrain of struggle" over cities. Now, with economic crisis and extremes of wealth and poverty, Harvey believes there is a "volcano waiting to explode" against the present system, and that it will happen in cities. In regards to China, for example, he observes:
"look at the urban side of that. Go to a place like Shanghai or some of these new cities that are being entirely built in China, the urbanization of China is phenomenal. The urban dimension to it is very significant. Then the question rises, what urban model is being followed. For instance in the Chinese case, sadly in many ways, its a version of what happened in the United States in the 1950s and 1960s. The Chinese are building gated communities, they are building suburbs, the automobile is going everywhere. It's an environmental disaster, and social inequality is escalating. There is a real set of problems there that is creating a good deal of unrest. I wouldn't be at all surprised if people don't see urban rebellions going on in China. In other words there's much talk about what's happening differently between nation states, but to shift the conversation a bit, let's talk about what's going on in the cities."
FULL STORY: David Harvey: Taking back the streets for anti-capitalist struggles

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Vehicle-related Deaths Drop 29% in Richmond, VA
The seventh year of the city's Vision Zero strategy also cut the number of people killed in alcohol-related crashes by half.

As Trump Phases Out FEMA, Is It Time to Flee the Floodplains?
With less federal funding available for disaster relief efforts, the need to relocate at-risk communities is more urgent than ever.

Opinion: How to Rebuild the ‘Starter Home’ Market
Large minimum lot sizes and restrictions on multi-unit housing put an artificial floor under home costs. Is it time to eliminate them?

How Understanding Near-Misses Can Improve Road Safety
Most road safety efforts are based on data about crashes that have already occurred. But important information can be gleaned from incidents when something almost went wrong, but didn’t.

Cincinnati School District Shifts Students to Public Transit to Cut Costs
Over 10,000 Cincinnati Public Schools students already use public buses for school transportation each year.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Borough of Carlisle
Smith Gee Studio
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)