Neil Brenner
1969
American sociologist who argues there is no longer an outside to the urban: urbanisation also organises the countryside, the mine and the ocean.
Brenner disputes the very idea of the «city» as a bounded object. His thesis of planetary urbanisation holds that the urban is not a place but a process: a soy plantation, a logistics hub or an undersea cable are as urbanised as a historic centre, because they exist to sustain it.
One practical consequence follows: if a city's sustainability is measured only within its municipal boundary, the territory that feeds it, supplies its energy and absorbs its waste is ignored. Honest accounting includes what happens far away.
On Neil Brenner in this archive
- Urban geopolitics
Neil Brenner. Global urbanization goes beyond city borders
Neil Brenner explores how urbanization extends beyond city boundaries through networks and regional processes. Read…
Neil Brenner 3 min read - Public space
Innovation or disguised austerity in tactical urbanism?
A neighborhood plaza, a Saturday morning. Volunteers with rollers paint large colored circles on the asphalt.
Anthony Garcia 3 min read - Urban economy
Critical Urbanism: Understanding Urban Inequities
Critical urbanism is a school of thought that fundamentally questions the power dynamics and social inequalities…
David Harvey 3 min read - Urban geopolitics
Planetary Urbanization: Redefining Spaces in the Global World
Planetary urbanization is a concept developed by Neil Brenner and Christian Schmid that seeks to expand our…
Neil Brenner 2 min read - Public space
Urban Governance: Toward Effective Citizen Participation
Urban governance policy has undergone significant transformations in recent decades, driven by globalization,…
Saskia Sassen 2 min read
