Constructing Solidarities for a Humane Urbanism

Traversing the financial industry’s takeover of shelter and basic services in Chicago and Cape Town, and the movements fighting eviction, displacement and gross urban inequalities in South Africa and the US, the authors of Constructing Solidarities for a Humane Urbanism reveal transnational connections between these conflicts and movements. Even more, they document how activists in those conflicts draw inspiration from and collaborate with one another to achieve their goals and refine strategies for future battles. Based on an event that brought together academics and activists, the approaches described by the authors create alliances across nations and across the interwoven fabrics of racial, ethnic, gender, and sexual identities, as well as between formal and informal political practices. Responding to an urgent need for collaborative reflection and exchange among scholars and activists with experience in transnational social and solidarity movements, Constructing Solidarities is both a record of conversations advancing our understanding of humane urbanisms and a roadmap for those seeking to participate in a global movement for more just approaches to urban development.