ABSTRACT
Since the emergence of what are generally understood to be the first ‘modern’ cities in Europe and North America in the late-eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, urban theory has been an important component of social science research. As we move through the second decade of what theorists, analysts and commentators term ‘the urban age’ or ‘urban century’, so it seems that it is becoming more important that urban theory generates new ideas and thinking in relation to the production of more inclusive and just urban futures. How we – as academics or students – go about doing this demands we name and pay attention to our theories. For theory is the lifeblood of the academic system, the tools of the trade through which complex ideas and understanding are generated, expressed and represented. Thought of in this way, theory in academia is equivalent to the language, lexicons and vocabulary used in many work places around the world: by car mechanics, computer programmers, doctors, heating engineers, lawyers, and so on. Professional worlds and their specific configurations can, of course, seem alien to those outside. Nevertheless, such things are the basis on which ideas, information and knowledge are communicated and exchanged. It is theory that enables the expression and performance of critical thought and intellectual advancement, important not only for the production of academic knowledge, but also in influencing how academics find out about cities through the methodologies they use, and, furthermore, in work which seeks to positively influence diverse audiences beyond universities (see Case study 1.1). For many undergraduates and graduate students, ‘theory’ is intimidating, one of the most challenging elements of acclimatizing to academic life. For those of you who can read, talk and write about theory, your studies are likely to be rewarding and, in all probability, successful. Theory should not be feared, and the challenge of getting to grips with the
CASE STUDY 1.1 WHAT IS URBAN THEORY AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
