1st Edition
Posturban Deurbanising Society: alterRural Modernities
Introduction Part One: The Urban, Promethean Modernity, And Their Economy 1. What Is Urban? 2. The Urban Drive: Promethean Modernity 3. Interlude: Economy And Economics 4. The Decline Of Promethean Well-being 5. Back To The Urban Part Two: Exploring Alternatives: Epimethean Modernity 6. The Other Side: Rurality 7. The Other Side Of History 8. AlterRural Endeavours: Deurbanising Society 9. Towards New Complex Social Morphologies 10. Conclusion
Biography
Pieter Versteegh, PhD (ETH Lausanne) in Architecture and Sciences of the City, is an independent scholar exploring how identity is shaped within post-urban modes of dwelling. His work focuses on the mirrors of globalised Western urban society— rurality and the spaces of psychiatric care. He is co-founder of ARENA, the Architectural Research European Network Association, and initiator of its AlterRurality network. He has taught in the fields of architecture and social work.
"POSTURBAN takes an important step in reconnecting urban and rural lifeworlds in less exploitative ways. It not only exposes the patriarchal Promethean roots of urban modernity but also proposes alterRurality as a timely framework for thriving decentralised degrowth societies."
Andrea Vetter, transformation researcher, activist and journalist ('The Future is Degrowth')
"POSTURBAN is a wonderful critique of the long-accepted view that urbanisation equates to development, and rurality to underdevelopment. It counters this position and proposes that a new complex modernity can exist in the rural. An essential perspective for reimagining how we can live today."
Dominic Stevens, architect
"POSTURBAN takes on the urban-centricity of contemporary thinking and argues that the rural still matters. The erudite and wide-ranging discussion finds hope for a more egalitarian society in the persistent rural and will be stimulating reading for anyone interested in our planetary future."
Michael Woods, geographer (author of ‘Rural’)
