Given the possibilities generated by our conference, a number of participants have agreed that an ongoing reading group would be a fruitful and interesting endeavour. The group will meet frequently and, typically, at least a week before the meeting, someone will get a bright idea, and email a journal article or book chapter discussing re-imagined spaces from their disciplinary perspective. The group has included students from Engineering, Plant Agriculture, Political Science / International Development, Geography, and English, but students from all disciplines are both welcome and encouraged.
To date, the reading group has met five times, and reflected upon:
1) Nichols, Joshua. 2008. "Lacan, the City, and the Utopian Symptom: An Analysis of Abject Urban Spaces." Space and Culture. 11(4): 459-474.
2) Acemoglu ,Daron, Simon Johnson and James A. Robinson. 2002.
“Reversal of Fortune: Geography and Institutions in the Making of the Modern World Income Distribution”. Quarterly Journal of Economics.
3) ...an experiment in ‘visioning’, involving
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a)two 'utopian' visions of the city of the future, from the late 19th century: chapter 14 from Edward Bellmay's Looking Backward: 2000-1887, and Chapter VII: TRAFALGAR SQUARE from William Morris: News from Nowhere,
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b)Liedsche Rijn, the "URBAN MASTER PLAN FOR A NEW TOWN OF 30'000 HOUSES STRONGLY RELATED TO THE CITY OF UTRECHT", designed by Rients Dijkstra as a 'sustainable neighbourhood',
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c)'Reinventing America's Cities' from the New York Times’ architecture critic, and
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d)a discussion of what counts as 'sustainable' or 'utopia', and how 'vision' is constrained, enhanced, or even shaped by the society / environment / technology / moment in time in which the vision is expressed.
4) The Introduction and Epilogue of Kristine Miller’s Designs on the Public;
...and
5) Meg Holden’s paper “The Tough Minded and the Tender Minded: A Pragmatic Turn for Sustainable Development Planning and Policy ”.
Planning Theory & Practice, Vol. 9, No. 4, 475–496, December 2008
The next meeting will take place in the new year.
If you have a suggestion for the reading, please let us know.
Given the increased attendance and spirited discussion that result, it has been decided that, until notice to the contrary, all future meetings shall take place at the Grad Lounge, 5th floor of the Unicentre at the University of Guelph.
We see this Reading Group as an opportunity to get more people intrigued by and involved in the ongoing project of interdisciplinary dialogue. So if you're curious or interested, keep checking this space, or send us an email, and we'll keep you posted.
