10/27: “Beyond the Square” and “Zoned Out!”: New books on urban politics from Urban Research press “Beyond the Square” and “Zoned Out!”: New books on urban politics from Urban Research press October 27, 2016 5:30 – 7:00 pm Science Center, Room 4102, CUNY Graduate Center Speakers: Tom Angotti (Hunter College, Urban Policy and Planning), Sylvia Morse (urban planner), Deen Sharp (doctoral candidate, EES) & Claire Panetta (doctoral candidate, Anthropology), Moderated by Samuel Stein (graduate student, EES) Books: Zoned Out! Race, Displacement and City Planning in New York City (Urban Research, 2016) Gentrification and displacement of low-income communities of color are major issues in New York City and the city’s zoning policies are a major cause. Race matters but the city ignores it when shaping land use and housing policies. The city promises “affordable housing” that is not truly affordable. Zoned Out! shows how this has played in Williamsburg, Harlem and Chinatown, neighborhoods facing massive displacement of people of color. It looks at ways the city can address inequalities, promote authentic community-based planning and develop housing in the public domain. Beyond the Square: Urbanism and the Arab Uprisings (Urban Research, 2016.) Urbanism and the Arab Uprisings focuses on the urban spatial dynamics of the mass protest movements that convulsed the Arab region since December 2010. The volume shifts attention away from public squares — and in particular Tahrir Square in Cairo — to consider the broader urban context in which the uprisings unfolded. The essays are topically and geographically diverse, exploring a range of sociospatial phenomena in countries that are at the heart of the Arab uprisings as well as those countries that appeared peripheral to the upheaval. This breadth of perspective highlights the centrality of space and spatial concerns to the ongoing political transformations in the region. In this way, the book provides a distinctive — and critical — analysis of one of the most significant political events of our time. This event is sponsored by the Center for Place, Culture and Politics. It is free and open to the public.