Call for Articles on War and the City

 

Progressive Planning Magazine invites articles about war and the city for publication in upcoming issues.

 

We have witnessed the devastating effects of the Israeli attacks on Gaza, one of the most densely populated urban areas in the world. With more than half the world’s population living in large cities, civilian populations are increasingly vulnerable. In addition, many people live in cities that are under military control, with checkpoints and other controls over free movement and restrictions on their right to the city. Wars take many forms: world wars, binational wars, civil wars, wars on terror or drugs, and the less obvious wars on the poor and the “other.”

 

These various forms of violence undermine the city as a space for human and community development and compromise the ability to plan for the future. This is of special concern to urban planners, architects and designers, who specialize in the preservation and development of cities and planning for a viable urban future. Yet urban planners for the most part have not spoken up about the destruction of cities and the planning of physical and other barriers that result from military instead of democratic rule.

 

In the past Planners Network has opposed the destruction of Iraqi cities and the construction of Israel’s separation barrier in occupied Palestine. We welcome articles that can explore other ways that wars undermine the right to the city in all regions of the world. Articles should go beyond the description of conditions, seek to analyze events, and put forth ideas about what planners and urban experts can do. We welcome articles with a point of view and clear political content.

 

Please adhere to the guidelines for submission:

http://www.plannersnetwork.org/magazine-publications/magazine-guidelines-for-submission/. Articles should be no more than 2,000 words and written for a general audience, avoiding jargon. Do not use footnotes or bibliography.

Deadlines for upcoming issue: December 15, 2014.

Send articles or queries to: editor@plannersnetwork.org.

 

Progressive Planning Editors

Tom Angotti, Pierre Clavel, Clara Irazábal, Nabil Kamel, Victoria Kaplan, Marie Kennedy, Norma Rantisi, Samuel Stein