Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book examines the city from a particular or partial perspective, namely, through the lens of critical political theory. It explores how the canon of Western political theory begins with the study of cities, specifically the city-states of Ancient Greece. The Ancient Greeks, such as Plato and Aristotle, understood their cities to be ideal sites of political community for much the same reasons that many today idealize "local" politics: because their relatively small sizes facilitated quasi-democratic practices, self-sufficiency, and the implementation of a particular understanding of the good life. The book focuses on a more traditional, less abstract, political economy strain of critical urban studies by exploring the category of common property. It deals with a demonstration of how the ethical turn in political theory has impacted the field of critical urban studies.