home

about

mantownhuman

events

articles & reviews

publications

archive

contact

What is the Future Cities project?

The Future Cities Project has a critical take on contemporary attitudes to modern life and the way we live today. It:

• promotes a human-centred approach to nature
• rejects the increasingly bureaucratised approach to architecture and urbanity
• challenges risk-aversion and the precautionary principle
• believes that environmentalism is driving down social aspirations
• criticises the use of politicised solutions to technical problems
• encourages debate, argument, critical dialogue and freedom of expression, and
• fights for development instead of sustainable development

Forthcoming Events

Bookshop Barnie

March 28th, 2012

Professor Stefan Collini on "What Are Universities For?"

Details here

 

 

Forthcoming Barnie

June 5th, 2012

Jonathan Meades on "Museum Without Walls" (published by Unbound)

Details here

 

 

Readers' Group 

12 June 2012

Emerging Africa bySteven C. Randelet

Visit our Readers' Group web page for further details

 

Think Critically, Design Differently

Architecture & Design Winter School
17-18 November 2010
BROCHURE HERE (5Mb)

 

Recent Articles

The First London Olympics: 1908 Reviewed by Alison Walker

 

 

 

The Lure of the City Reviewed by Alastair Donald

 

New Publications

The Lure of the City: From Slums to Suburbs

ed: Alastair Donald & Austin Williams (Pluto Press).

 

 

The Future of Community: Reports of a Death Greatly Exaggerated

Dave Clements, Alastair Donald, Martin Earnshaw & Austin Williams, (Pluto Press) Buy at Amazon ...

Visit the Future of Community Blog...

The Future of Community at the Belfast Salon. Read more here...

 

The Enemies of Progress: The Dangers of Sustainability

 

More...

 

Social Policy Group

The Institute of Ideas' Social Policy Forum aims to challenge social policy by stealth, while taking a closer look at some key policy debates on everything from housing, social care and welfare, to the reforms of local government and public services. More..

New! Society Wars: the battle for social Policy

Email: martin_earnshaw@hotmail.com for details.

 

mantownhuman

 

Short commentaries on current events

 

The Future Cities project has been set up to critically explore issues around the city.
Read on...

Position Papers

The Future Cities Project critiques the latest government initatives.

Bookshop Barnies

Alternative book launches where the author has to fight for his/her ideas.

Readers' Group

We meet monthly to discuss all kinds of texts from architecture to anthropology.