Social Geography and Urban Studies
We publish a wide range of topical titles in this subject area. Have a browse through the different categories on the left to get a flavour of what is covered.
We are particularly well-known for our atlases on social geography and inequality which have featured widely in the media – look out for The human atlas of Europe and People and places in 2016.
Mixed Communities
Gentrification by Stealth?
This book draws together a range of case studies by international experts to assess the impacts of social mix policies and the degree to which they might represent gentrification by stealth.
Locating Localism
Statecraft, Citizenship and Democracy
Combines political theory with attention to political practice to explore the development of localism as a new mode of statecraft. It highlights the challenges of the state devolving itself and the importance of citizens having the freedom, incentives and institutions needed to act.
Localism and Neighbourhood Planning
Power to the People?
A critical analysis of neighbourhood planning. Setting empirical evidence from the UK against international examples, the Editors engage in broader debates on the purposes of planning and the devolution of power to localities.
Leading the Inclusive City
Place-Based Innovation for a Bounded Planet
This engaging book argues that imaginative place-based leadership can enable citizens to shape the urban future while advancing social justice, promoting care for the environment and bolstering community empowerment.
Justice and Fairness in the City
A Multi-Disciplinary Approach to 'Ordinary' Cities
This book examines the theory and practice of justice in and of the city through a multi-disciplinary collaboration, which draws on a wide range of expertise. It will be a valuable resource for academic researchers and students across a range of disciplines including urban and environmental studies.
Jigsaw cities
Big places, small spaces
This new book explores Britain's intensely urban and increasingly global communities as interlocking pieces of a complex jigsaw; they are hard to see apart yet they are deeply unequal.
Jigsaw Cities examines these issues using Birmingham, Britain's second city, as a model of pioneering urban order and as a victim of brutal Modernist planning.
Invisible Britain
Portraits of Hope and Resilience
A photographic ethnography book that features the stories and portraits of individuals across the UK who have been impacted by social issues such as austerity, Brexit, deindustrialisation, nationalism and cuts to public services.
Infrastructure in Africa
Lessons for Future Development
This book presents a comprehensive exploration of the state of infrastructure in Africa and provides an integrated analysis of the challenges the sector faces, based on extensive fieldwork across the continent, providing an important resource for researchers, students, policymakers and NGOs.
Identity in Britain
A cradle-to-grave atlas
Danny Dorling and Bethan Thomas have brought together this outstanding atlas to provide us with a unique visual picture of identity and geography combined. "Identity in Britain" explores our changing identities as we progress from infancy to old age and tells the story of the myriad geographies of life in Britain.
The Human Atlas of Europe
A Continent United in Diversity
Written by leading international authors, this timely atlas explores Europe’s society, culture, economy, politics and environment using state of the art mapping techniques. It addresses fundamental questions around social cohesion and sustainable growth as Europe negotiates the UK’s exit while continuing through the economic crisis.
How to Save Our Town Centres
A Radical Agenda for the Future of High Streets
Written in an engaging and accessible style, How to save our town centres asks whether the internet has killed our high streets and how the relationship between people and places is changing, how business is done and who benefits, and how the use and ownership of land affects us all.
How to Build Houses and Save the Countryside
Focusing on house building and conservation politics in England, Spiers uses his considerable experience and extensive research to demonstrate why the current model doesn’t work, and why there needs to be both planning reform and a more active role for the state, including local government.