Category: Policy and Governance

Q&A with Guy Osborn on the importance of parks as plural spaces in urban areas

Festivals & The City, edited by Andrew Smith, Guy Osborn and Bernadette Quinn, is an open access UWP title that explores how festivals and events affect urban places and public spaces, and focuses particularly on their role in fostering inclusion. Its 15 chapters are drawn from a range of different European cities, including Venice, Edinburgh, London, Manchester, Rotterdam and Barcelona. They explore a variety of events and festivals, including those focused on heritage, music and craft beer.

Here editor Guy Osborn, Professor in the Westminster Law School, Co-Director of the Centre for Law, Society and Popular Culture and editor of the Entertainment and Sports Law Journal, gives an insight into his research interest and where it’s taking him next.

Q: How did you first become interested in the subject of urban festival spaces? 

I guess my interest in law and popular culture, and particularly music and sport, was my way in. Also I had worked with Andrew Smith on a project relating to how the Olympics had used parks as fan zones, particularly Hyde Park, so how public spaces were used for private events was an issue of interest to me. 

Q: Do you have a favourite urban festival? Where and why is it special to you?

The Great Escape in Brighton. I have been going to this as a fan/punter for many years. It’s special for all sorts of reasons, not least because it’s an annual event where I meet up with pals who I first met at university many moons ago. But it also allows me to see lots of up and coming bands. 

Q: Does your research indicate an increase in the use of festivilised urban spaces post-pandemic compared with pre-pandemic?

That’s an interesting question – I’m not sure we know enough yet to say for certain. Our research was very much centred on a year in the life of one park, Finsbury Park, and it just so happened that the pandemic interrupted our field work! Certainly Finsbury Park has continued to have events, Pulp and Arctic Monkeys, for example recently, and local groups have ben divided on this as before. What is also apparent is that local authorities are strapped for cash and are trying to monetise their assets where they can.

Q: Do you think public urban areas can be genuinely plural spaces in the global north?

Yes, that’s what they are essentially for, or what they should be for. Parks are really important.

Q: What is next for you in terms of your research in this area?

One of my next big projects that is somewhat related is examining event tickets – the means via which access is granted to events such as a festival. More closely related to the book project, Andrew and I have talked of doing a sort of social and cultural history of music festivals in London – we just need some funding or someone to commission us!  

You can download and read Festivals & The City for free here

Lessons for democracy from Covid-19
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Lessons for democracy from Covid-19

‘Another, more democratic world can be realised in the face of a crisis.’

Open access title DEMOCRACY IN A PANDEMIC: Participation in Response to Crisis recently published by UWP makes the case for enhanced engagement during and beyond emergency contexts. The book features numerous contributions from those involved directly in coordinating the response on the ground and is edited by Graham Smith of the Centre for the Study of Democracy, University of Westminster and Tim Hughes outgoing Director of Involve.

Is there a blueprint to follow that can help embed participation in the body politic? The many contributors separately make the case. Fuller details available here but the book can be downloaded or viewed online or purchased in print.

Migration, mobility and aircraft, sea serpents, deep time, Covid, poetry and Notre Dame de Paris ‘entangled’ – Anthropocenes Journal 2021 contents
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Migration, mobility and aircraft, sea serpents, deep time, Covid, poetry and Notre Dame de Paris ‘entangled’ – Anthropocenes Journal 2021 contents

Seven new research articles/contributions have been published in UWP’s journal Anthropocenes – Human, Inhuman, Posthuman. Journal authors continue to rethink in the words of the editors (about the journal) ‘abstraction, art, architecture, design, governance, ecology, law, politics and discourses of science in the context of human, inhuman and posthuman frameworks’. And this is showcased in an eclectic and uniquely interdisciplinary mix of material published in Vol 2 issue 1 which covers January 2021 to the end of July so far.

See here for the new issue contents for this year and here for 2020.

Readers have enthusiastically responded to the journal’s mix of material that mirrors and interprets the Anthropocene; that have reflected on the significance of eels, ‘sea serpents’, polar bears, invasive insects and human bodies; considered urban, mixed-use, dune, river and post-industrial landscapes; presented material as poetry, audio essays, visual essays, book reviews and creative writing on science. And of course reflected broadly on the key issues of climate change disasters, deep time, culture and the uses of architecture, data aesthetics, frontier technology, hyperobjects, Covid-19 and how to move beyond anthropocentricism.

Active Travel Studies journal, under way
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Active Travel Studies journal, under way

Active Travel Studies a new UWP journal has published its first article. Kirsty Wild and colleagues offer an analysis of the impact of e-Bikes on access to cycling for women based on research undertaken in Auckland. Could e-Bikes offer encouragement for more physical activity and overcome inhibiters especially for mothers?

A reminder of the journal’s scope and aims below. And here the lead editors Tom Cohen and Rachel Aldred discuss their plans and ambitions for a timely new journal. The journal is based at the University of Westminster‘s Active Travel Academy

We live in times of climate crisis, with illegal levels of air pollution in many cities worldwide, and what has been called an epidemic of physical inactivity. Technological change alone will not solve such problems: we also need major growth in active travel (primarily walking and cycling, but also other active and semi-active types of travel, such as scooters) to replace many shorter car trips. Active modes could even (e.g. through electric assist trikes) help make urban freight much more sustainable.

Journals within many fields cover active travel, but literature remains highly segmented and (despite high levels of policy interest) difficult for practitioners to find. Established, mainstream journals are not open access, another barrier to policy transfer and knowledge exchange. Thus, while many towns, cities, and countries seek to increase active travel, the knowledge base suffers from a lack of high-quality academic evidence that is easy to find and obtain. This reinforces practitioner reliance on often lower-quality grey literature, and a culture of relying on ad hoc case studies in policy and practice.

This journal provides a bridge between academia and practice, based on high academic standards and accessibility to practitioners. Its remit is to share knowledge from any academic discipline/s (from bioscience to anthropology) that can help build knowledge to support active travel and help remove barriers to it, such as car dependency. Within this normative orientation, it is rigorously academic and critical, for instance not shying away from analysing examples where interventions do not lead to more active travel. It goes beyond immediate policy imperatives to share knowledge that while not immediately change-oriented can contribute to a deeper understanding of, for instance, why people drive rather than walk. 

As well as publishing relevant new research, the journal commissions both commentary pieces on such research, and critical reviews of the existing literature. Reflecting the diversity of its audience, its content is varied, including written work of different lengths as well as audio-visual material

Covid-19 and the Value of Participation
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Covid-19 and the Value of Participation

Now published 12 July 2021 a new open access title DEMOCRACY IN A PANDEMIC: Participation in Response to Crisis that makes the case for enhanced engagement during and beyond emergency contexts.

Covid-19 has highlighted limitations in our democratic politics – but also lessons for how to deepen our democracy and more effectively respond to future crises. In the face of an emergency, the working assumption all too often is that only a centralised, top-down response is possible. This book exposes the weakness of this assumption, making the case for deeper participation and deliberation in times of crises. During the pandemic, mutual aid and self-help groups have realised unmet needs. And forward-thinking organisations have shown that listening to and working with diverse social groups leads to more inclusive outcomes. 

Participation and deliberation are not just possible in an emergency. They are valuable, perhaps even indispensable. 

This book draws together a diverse range of voices of activists, practitioners, policy makers, researchers and writers. Together they make visible the critical role played by participation and deliberation during the pandemic and make the case for enhanced engagement during and beyond emergency contexts.

Another, more democratic world can be realised in the face of a crisis. The contributors to this book offer us meaningful insights into what this could look like.

The Editors:

GRAHAM SMITH is Professor of Politics and Director of the Centre for the Study of Democracy at the University of Westminster and Chair of the Foundation for Democracy and Sustainable Development.

TIM HUGHES is the outgoing Director of Involve and a leading specialist in the field of participatory and deliberative democracy.

LIZZIE ADAMS is Project and Governance Lead at Involve, the UK’s leading public participation charity.

CHARLOTTE OBIJIAKU is Project Administrator at Involve and a member of the 2020/21 Charityworks graduate scheme.

CONTENTS: Short listing

Introduction
Part One: VOICES FROM THE PANDEMIC 
Part Two: LESSONS FOR DEMOCRACY
Conclusion: A Manifesto for Democracy in a Crisis

FORMAT
E-book, PDF free on publication from www.uwestminsterpress.co.uk/site/books/57. PDF 978-1-914386-18-3 ePub 978-1-914386-19-0 Kindle 978-1-914386-20-6  DOI: 10.16997/book57

Paperback 978-1-914386-17-6 203 x 103mm 160 pages
UK £14.99 US $20 EUR €18 CAN $25 AUS $28

Democracy Studies|Policy Studies| Social Affairs

FULL CONTENTS

Acknowledgements
Introduction, Graham Smith, Tim Hughes, Lizzie Adams and Charlotte Obijiaku
PART ONE: VOICES FROM THE PANDEMIC
Some Things Are So Urgent That We Can’t Afford to Do Them Quickly Martin Johnstone
The Perfect Storm? Emerging from the Crisis Stronger, Through Sharing What We Have  Jez Hall
Building More Vibrant and Inclusive Democracies: How to Meet the challenges of Covid-19
Sanjay PradhanDoes Democracy Need a Time Rebellion? Roman Krznaric
Building Back Inclusively Dayo Eseonu
Ordinary and Extraordinary Stories: Including People with Learning Disabilities in Policy Development and Research Rhiann McLean and Angela Henderson
Organising to Humanise the Gig Economy Alex Marshall
Let’s Talk About Covid-19 Ethics Dave Archard
Democracy – A Dish Well Done Frances Foley
Learning How to Listen in a Pandemic Laura Seebohm
No Justice Without Us: Respecting Lived Experience of the Criminal Justice System Paula Harriott
Participation on Whose Terms? Javier Sanchez-Rogriguez
The Queer House Party: Solidarity and LGBTQI+ Community-Making in Pandemic Times Francesca Romana Ammaturo and Olimpia Burchiellaro
Student Democracy in the Face of Covid-19 Isobel Walter
Experts by Experience: Enabling the Voice of Survivors to Transform the Response to Domestic Abuse in the UK Martha Tomlinson
The Best Time to Start Involving the Public in Covid Decision-Making was a Year Ago The Next Best Time Is Now Jon Alexander
PART TWO: LESSONS FOR DEMOCRACY
Hearing Diverse Voices in a Pandemic: Towards Authentic Inclusion Ruth Ibegbuna
Mutual Aid and Self-Organisation: What We Can Learn from the Rise of DIY Responses to the Pandemic Matt Leach
How the Pandemic Has Accelerated the Shift Towards Participatory Public Authorities Donna Hall,
Simon Kaye and Charlotte Morgan
Citizen Voice in the Pandemic Response: Democratic Innovations from Around the World Antonin
Lacelle-Webster, Julien Landry and Ann Marie D. Smith
Is Democracy Too Much Trouble in a Pandemic? Archon Fung
Conclusion: A Manifesto for Democracy in a Crisis Tim Hughes and Graham Smith

13 July 2021

Anthropocene Islands published to acclaim

Anthropocene Islands published to acclaim

A new book exploring the significance of Island Studies for the Anthropocene was published yesterday to advance acclaim, as described in a recent blog posting. As with all University of Westminster Press titles it is available open access.

Anthropocenes Islands: Entangled Worlds was written by Jonathan Pugh and David Chandler.

Acclaim for Anthropocene Islands

‘A must read … In this long-awaited book, [Pugh and Chandler] open up a new analytical agenda for the Anthropocene, coherently drawing out the power of thinking with islands.’ – Elena Burgos Martinez, Leiden University

‘This is an essential book. By thinking with islands, Pugh and Chandler articulate new ontologies and epistemologies to help us understand the relational entanglements of the Anthropocene. The four analytics they propose—Resilience, Patchworks, Correlation, and Storiation—offer both a critical agenda for island studies and compass points through which to navigate the haunting past, troubling present, and precarious future.’ – Craig Santos Perez, University of Hawai’i, Manoa

‘All academic books should be like this: hard to put down. Informative, careful, sometimes devasting, yet absolutely necessary – if you read one book about the Anthropocene let it be this. You will never think of islands in the same way again.’ –  Kimberley Peters, University of Oldenburg

‘Makes the compelling case that islands have never been merely geocultural objects of study, but rather, generative conceptual “objects” [for understanding and engaging] the wider, planetary, relational matrix within which the conditions of the Anthropocene era were created.’ – Michelle Stephens, Rutgers University

‘What if we were to start not with the great drama of the world’s falling apart, but with a myriad of smaller stories of its coming together? … a unique journey into the Anthropocene. Critical, generous and compelling’.  – Nigel Clark, Lancaster University

‘Replete with “aha!” and “huh!” moments, this book offers insights for all of us … who may not have recognised … the value of “thinking with” islands more purposively.’ – Lauren Rickards, RMIT University

‘ … a must-read … elucidates novel understandings of islands not only as patches of intensified Anthropocene proliferation, but as sites to examine the intricate relationships between life, matter, and meaning in a changing world.’ – Adam Searle, University of Cambridge

‘Anthropocene Islands establishes Pugh and Chandler as two critical and agenda-setting thinkers within island scholarship … [It] cogently argues that islands have become emblematic figures of the Anthropocene and are moreover influencing the manner in which Anthropocene thinking is developing. … a timely and essential contribution …’ – Adam Grydehøj, Editor-in-Chief, Island Studies Journal

The University of Westminster Press is the publisher of the journal Anthropocenes: Human, Inhuman, Posthuman

Anthropocene Islands – forthcoming title