Urbana: Urban Affairs and Public Policy has a New Home!

The on-line academic journal Urbana: Urban Affairs and Public Policy has a new design and a new server. Go to http://www.urbanauapp.org/   . The old site will soon refer those visiting to the new site. This has taken almost six months to complete. The Editorial Board thinks the audience of Urbana: Urban Affairs and Public Policy will be pleased in its ease of use. The journal is peer reviewed, and will soon appear in various indexes.

 For fifteen years, Urbana has sought quality manuscripts demonstrating the diversity of the study of urban areas. This new phase represents another evolution in this unique journal.  Please e-mail to your associates the new link. Manuscripts are accepted at any time during the year and published as soon as they are reviewed and edited in our Online First page. After the volume is closed they will be included in the appropriate volume. Please send manuscripts, inquiries, comments etc. to michaelamcaams@yahoo.com  .

Urbana also accepts donations or sponsorships by organizations, companies, foundations or individuals who support the mission of this journal in giving a forum to a unique collection of academic authors who are interested in the multi-dimensional, complex and chaotic nature of cities/urban areas.

Being a Urban Flâneur and Urban Planner

An urban flâneur is one who casually observes what is going on in an urban environment making critical observations while strolling about the city. A city planner collects data, attends meetings prepares future plans for a specific town, village, city or region. The flâneur is seen as operating in a fuzzy, objective/subjective and qualitative milieu; while, the urban planner is involved in quantifying and analyzing data (‘hard facts’), applying standards and regulations to aid in the effective and efficient operation of an urban area. The training that as a planner receives is based on the rationalist-lineal approach and does not include training about how to be a good observer in an urban environment. Most of all the public and the elected officials view the urban planner as a government employee who is at the disposal of elected officials and the public---a public servant. The idea of wandering about a city would not be considered productive or would be done on the off-hours. It would be safe to say that many urban planners would be castigated by most administrators for leaving work during office hours to go wander the streets, talk to people, sit in cafes and restaurants, ride public transportation, sit in parks, or indulge in other seemly ‘frivolous’ activities. If an urban planner is the one who is directed to suggest future plans for an urban area is this served best by sitting at a desk?




As a practicing urban planner for many years, I would have very impressed if any of bosses said to me: “Today, I don’t want you to be at your desk…in fact let’s make this a weekly thing…go out an just wander around the city and observe what you see. Come by my office and we will discuss what you found out.” I will continue this discussion in up-coming blog entries.

A Market Scene in Istanbul Summer 2010

I was going through my photographs the other day and came across this one. It speaks for itself.

What does it mean to be an urban flâneur?

I think it is good to revisit this topic as it needs more thought as a methodology of urban geography. I came across this interesting blog post by Fiona Ferbrache on Geography Directions: http://geographydirections.wordpress.com/2011/05/10/urban-geography-a-flaneurs-encounter-with-graffiti-in-toulouse/ The author discusses her weekend stroll in Toulouse, France, her encounter with urban graffiti and her take on what it means to be a flâneur. She also mentions a recent article about urban graffiti by of McAuliffe and Iveson’s (2011). People are making statements in the city continuously. Graffiti is a message to the inhabitants of the city drawing them into contemplation to its underground element, its lack of color, and public art.

Reference:
McAuliffe, C. and Iveson, K. (2011) Art and Crime (and Other Things Besides … ): Conceptualising Graffiti in the City. Geography Compass. 5,3. pp.128-143

Being an Urban Flâneur in an Airport

This represents an 'on-the-fly' blog entry while I am in an airport waiting to board.  While on one surface, it is offers a place to people watch, it not a very tranquil place.   One is forced to listen to piped in music and other peoples conversations--particulalry if they are on cell phones.  Then, the constant announcements for people that are being paged for a flight.   I wonder if these people show up.  The best is when Americans slaughter foreign names.  The best accents for this is a New York accent or a deep South accent.  I can't blog anymore, as they are calling my flight.

Wikipedia Definition of Flâneur

I found a very interesting and well researched entry on Wikipedia concerning the word "flâneur".  Click on the following link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fl%C3%A2neur .  The basic meaning of "flâneur" is someone who strolls.  I think from viewing some of the entries here that it is far more than 'strolling.' It can be considered an entire methodology of research.  For a more developed version of what it means to be an urban  flâneur go to the article published in Urbana by Jesus Trevino: http://www.tamuk.edu/geo/urbana/Fall2006/flaneur.pdf

Call for Papers for Spring 2011 Volume of Urbana

Do you have a manuscript that has been waiting to be published? Why not think about sending it to Urbana. Urbana is a well respectied journal concerning urbanism. If you anticipate publishing in the Spring volume, please send me the title of the article with contact information and expected submission date at michaelamcadams@yahoo.com . The anticipated publication for the new volume is April 2011. At a later date selected articles will be published in printed form.

The link for Urbana is located at: http://www.tamuk.edu/geo/Urbana/