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APOLOGIES FOR CROSS-POSTINGS Dear Crit-geog members, I am writing to draw to your attention the publication of a new book which might be of interest to some. Will appreciate if you could circulate widely. There is currently a reduction on the e-book at £24.99. Mega-Urbanization in the Global South: Fast cities and new urban utopias of the postcolonial state Edited by Ayona Datta and Abdul Shaban (2017, Routledge) Publisher website: https://www.routledge.com/Mega-Urbanization-in-the-Global-South-Fast-cities-and-new-urban-utopias/Datta-Shaban/p/book/9780415745512 With contributions from an international range of established and emerging scholars drawing upon real-world examples, Mega-Urbanization in the Global South is the first to use the lens of speed to examine the postcolonial ‘urban revolution’. From the mega-urbanization of Lusaka, to the production of satellite cities in Jakarta, to new cities built from scratch in Masdar, Songdo and Rajarhat, this book argues that speed is now the persistent feature of a range of utopian visions that seek to expedite the production of new cities. These ‘fast cities’ are the enduring images of postcolonial urbanism, which bypass actually existing urbanisms through new power-knowledge coalitions of producing, knowing and governing the city. Contents Introduction 1. Fast cities in the Urban Age Ayona Datta 2. Frictionless Utopias for the Contemporary Urban Age: Large-scale, Master-planned Redevelopment Projects in Urbanizing Africa Martin Murray 3. New African city plans: local urban form and the acceleration of urban inequalities. Vanessa Watson 4. Speed kills: Fast urbanism and endangered sustainability in the Masdar City project Federico Cugurullo 5. Envisioned by the State: Entrepreneurial Urbanism and the Making of Songdo City, South Korea Hyun Shin 6. From petro-urbanism to knowledge megaprojects in the Persian Gulf: Qatar Foundation’s Education City Agatino Rizzo 7. ‘Their houses on our land’: Perforations and blockades in the Planning of New Town Rajarhat, India Ratoola Kundu 8. Mega-suburbanization in Jakarta Mega-urban Region Delik Hudalah and Tommy Firman 9. Mega- Scale Sustainability: The relational production of a new Lusaka Mathew Lane 10. Planning new towns in the People’s Republic: Political dimensions of eco-city images in China. Braulio Morera 11. Slow: Towards a decelerated urbanism Abdul Shaban and Ayona Datta Endorsements "Unpacking the cultural, economic and historical determinants of speed as a central feature of contemporary city-making in the global south, this carefully edited volume brings together fresh and innovative analyses of urban change across a wide variety of contexts. It also lucidly identifies the deleterious consequences of fast or 'instant' cities. One of those rare books which truly renews our understanding of urban dynamics." Professor Ola Söderström, Department of Geography, University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland "The fast and intoxicating logic of building smart/green/new cities as a panacea to the world’s problems is this outstanding book’s object of inquiry. With laser-sharp precision, these scholars demonstrate that from Johannesburg to Lusaka, Jakarta to Songdo City, ‘speed kills’. Pulsating throughout this terrific collection is the call to ‘decelerate or else’, making it the perfect new primer on questions of urban justice in the global South." Professor Michael Goldman, Sociology and Global Studies, University of Minnesota, USA Best wishes *************************************** Dr Ayona Datta Reader in Urban Futures Urban Futures<http://www.kcl.ac.uk/sspp/departments/geography/research/Research-Domains/Urban-Futures/About-Us.aspx> Research domain chair Programme Director, MA/MSc Sustainable Cities<http://www.kcl.ac.uk/sspp/departments/geography/study/masters/suscit/index.aspx> Department of Geography King’s College London Strand Campus, London WC2R 2LS Tel: +44 207 848 1734 Email: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> http://www.kcl.ac.uk/sspp/departments/geography/people/academic/datta/Biography.aspx NEW BOOK ‘Mega-urbanization in the global South: Fast cities and new urban utopias of the postcolonial state’ (Routledge 2017) Editor Dialogues in Human Geography<http://dhg.sagepub.com/> Editor Urban Geography<http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?show=aimsScope&journalCode=rurb20> AHRC Utopian Cities Network<https://utopiancities.wordpress.com/> Blog The City Inside Out<https://ayonadatta.wordpress.com/> Twitter @ayonadatta<http://www.twitter.com/ayonadatta>