ABSTRACT
The conclusion brings the work full circle and reconsiders the basic intentions of the book in light of the text. The optimistic argument is that cities are entering a new phase of development, in which the struggles for social and economic justice will bear fruit, partly through the emergence of a transformed production economy. In this economy, meaningful work will combine with advanced forms of manufacture, helping define the city itself as a place where creating and making are an integral part of urban life. At the same time, there are large societal forces that need to be tamed in order to realize this new phase. These include the commodification of land, overconsumption and its role in the environmental crisis, the increasing gap of wealth between rich and poor, and the degradation of work itself. These forces mitigate against positive change, but this realization may itself provide the impetus for the kinds of change that are needed.
