ABSTRACT
Chapter 2 of Planning Wild Cities is entitled ‘Finding Homo urbanis’. Our cities lie at the nexus between the past, present, and future and must be understood in context. Culturally, geographically, and spatially specific, cities have a context – a global context unbound with investment, technology, and a footprint that extends beyond jurisdictional or administrative borders, but also unique cultural landscapes and settlement trajectories. Cities are both outcome and agent of human progress, and act as the sites for the contradictions and anxieties of Homo urbanis. They serve as a mirror for our dreams, ambitions, and discontents. This chapter raises new questions about what we imagine ‘the city’ to be, who is involved, and how we can shape them differently into the future. The chapter will be of particular interest to students and scholars of planning, urban studies, and sustainable development, and for all those invested in re-shaping our ‘wild’ city futures.
