{"product_id":"fragments-of-the-city-making-and-remaking-urban-worlds-essential","title":"Fragments of the City: Making and Remaking Urban Worlds - Essential","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn this review of Fragments of the City: Making and Remaking Urban Worlds, Colin McFarlane offers a focused, thoughtful account of how urban life is assembled from broken objects, informal practices, and partial infrastructures. This book is for readers interested in urban theory, planning, and social geography who want a lens on how fragments shape daily life and political possibility. The single biggest reason to read it is McFarlane's attention to ordinary, often neglected pieces of the city that reveal broader dynamics of inequality and improvisation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eKey Features\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFragment-focused analysis:\u003c\/strong\u003e Examines material and social fragments to show how broken or partial elements reveal the workings of urban life and inequality.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eComparative urban examples:\u003c\/strong\u003e Uses cities such as Mumbai and Kampala to illustrate how fragments emerge across different political and infrastructural contexts.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEveryday perspective:\u003c\/strong\u003e Emphasizes everyday objects and practices, like broken toilets and makeshift repairs, to connect lived experience with urban theory.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePolicy and practice relevance:\u003c\/strong\u003e Connects descriptions of fragments to questions of social infrastructure and political practice, useful for planners and activists.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTheoretical clarity:\u003c\/strong\u003e Clarifies how fragments can be read as signatures of urban worlds and as provocations for change.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eWho It's For\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUrban scholars, city planners, students of social geography, and readers interested in public affairs and urban development will find this book particularly valuable for its close attention to everyday materiality and inequality. It suits readers who appreciate qualitative, place-based scholarship that ties description to political implications.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThose seeking an introductory textbook or a hands-on manual for engineering infrastructure may want a more technical or prescriptive volume; this book is stronger as a critical and interpretive work than as a how-to guide for construction or municipal operations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003ePros \u0026amp; Cons\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePros\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eClear focus on fragments brings fresh insight into the lived experience of cities and marginal populations.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eComparative examples from Mumbai and Kampala broaden the book's relevance beyond a single context.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBridges theory and practice by linking small-scale material conditions to social infrastructure and policy questions.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCons\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe book is interpretive rather than prescriptive, so readers wanting concrete technical solutions may find it limited.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eSpecifications\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eTitle\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFragments of the City: Making and Remaking Urban Worlds\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eAuthor\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eColin McFarlane\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFocus\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMaterial, social, and spatial fragments in urban life\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eExamples\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCase studies include Mumbai and Kampala\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSubjects\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCity planning, urban development, public affairs\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eApproach\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eQualitative, interpretive, comparative\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eOur Verdict\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFragments of the City is a compact, persuasive contribution for readers who want to understand how broken objects and partial infrastructures shape political and social life in cities. It offers good value for students and practitioners seeking conceptual tools to read urban inequality, though it is best paired with more technical texts for implementation guidance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eFrequently Asked Questions\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDoes this book include case studies?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYes. The book draws on examples such as Mumbai and Kampala to illustrate how fragments operate in different urban settings.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs this a practical guide for planners?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNot primarily; it is interpretive and theoretical, useful for informing policy thinking but not a step-by-step technical manual.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWho is the author?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eColin McFarlane, a scholar focused on urban studies, authors this examination of material and social fragments in cities.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Colin McFarlane","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48242152669403,"sku":"0520382234","price":95.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0724\/1043\/1707\/files\/91Qb6Mkv1VL._SL1500.jpg?v=1770720467","url":"https:\/\/gearmusthave.com\/products\/fragments-of-the-city-making-and-remaking-urban-worlds-essential","provider":"GearMustHave","version":"1.0","type":"link"}