The talk explores specific aspects of the social meaning of living in cities arguing that it is to be understood as a complex interplay between lived experience and the multiple imaginations surrounding the city. It raises some of the ‘big’ questions surrounding the emergence of contemporary cities, including in what senses the city is a community and the tensions arising from the politics of copresence.

Biography:

Ronan Paddison is Emeritus Professor of Human Geography at the University of Glasgow. His main research interests have been in urban and political geography, more specifically in local political processes and participatory forms of democracy. His recent work has centred on public space and exploring the role of the post-political thesis on city development. He has been a visiting lecturer in universities in, amongst others, China, Australia, Spain, France, Algeria, and Romania. He is currently Editor in Chief of Urban Studies and is Managing Editor of Space and Polity. He has published as author, editor or co-editor more than 25 books along with numerous journal articles.