Urban Energy Landscapes

'In this remarkable book of conceptual rigor, empirical breadth and methodological creativity, Castan Broto brings to life the situated practices and contextualized histories which - she convincingly argues - are so critical to understanding how urban energy transitions really happen.' Timothy Moss, Humboldt-Universitat zu Berlin 'Urban Energy Landscapes provides a compelling framework and set of cases through which to encounter the global heterogeneity of infrastructures. Ranging from household interviews to contextualization of governance within long histories of colonization, Castan Broto expresses energy infrastructures as lively 'connective tissues', as symbols of modernity, and as emblematic of the aspirations of cityhood itself. The cases evidence multiple entry points through which to imagine energy transitions as well as the difficulty of theorizing across global urban experiences, defying any possibility for a unified theory or global political plan of action. Castan Broto's apprehensiveness at the scale of change required is alternated with auspicious gestures at sites where, sometimes, change is already deeply underway. Whether one reads this text cynically as a glimpse at the limitations of global action or hopefully as a glance at emergent alternatives, Urban Energy Landscapes provides a crucial intervention for its attention to the plurality of global urban infrastructures.' Mary Lawhon, University of Oklahoma From charcoal fires in Maputo to Hong Kong's riot of neon light, Urban Energy Landscapes provides a conceptually sophisticated and empirically grounded street level view of the possibilities for radical transformation in urban energy landscapes. Through the lens of urban infrastructure and the looming realities of climate change, Castan Broto sheds new light on our understanding of what cities are and how they work in the daily lives of urban citizens.' Caroline Knowles, Goldsmiths, University of London 'In this remarkable book of conceptual rigor, empirical breadth and methodological creativity, Castan Broto brings to life the situated practices and contextualized histories which - she convincingly argues - are so critical to understanding how urban energy transitions really happen.' Timothy Moss, Humboldt-Universitat zu Berlin 'Urban Energy Landscapes provides a compelling framework and set of cases through which to encounter the global heterogeneity of infrastructures. Ranging from household interviews to contextualization of governance within long histories of colonization, Castan Broto expresses energy infrastructures as lively 'connective tissues', as symbols of modernity, and as emblematic of the aspirations of cityhood itself. The cases evidence multiple entry points through which to imagine energy transitions as well as the difficulty of theorizing across global urban experiences, defying any possibility for a unified theory or global political plan of action. Castan Broto's apprehensiveness at the scale of change required is alternated with auspicious gestures at sites where, sometimes, change is already deeply underway. Whether one reads this text cynically as a glimpse at the limitations of global action or hopefully as a glance at emergent alternatives, Urban Energy Landscapes provides a crucial intervention for its attention to the plurality of global urban infrastructures.' Mary Lawhon, University of Oklahoma From charcoal fires in Maputo to Hong Kong's riot of neon light, Urban Energy Landscapes provides a conceptually sophisticated and empirically grounded street level view of the possibilities for radical transformation in urban energy landscapes. Through the lens of urban infrastructure and the looming realities of climate change, Castan Broto sheds new light on our understanding of what cities are and how they work in the daily lives of urban citizens.' Caroline Knowles, Goldsmiths, University of London