City Road Podcast

Contemporary global circuits of policy advice are abuzz with 'urban solutions' from a growing industry of 'thought leaders'. These urban experts talk about 'policy solutions' and 'best practice models' and they have a ready supply of policy success stories from around the world. "What I'm really trying to study is this global circuitry of knowledge, a global network, and I'm engaging with cities not as specific field sites, but as entry points into this dynamic, fast-moving landscape." Rachel Bok Rachel Bok calls this 'superlative urbanism'; a practice whereby urban solutions experts have created an industry out of selling city managers a range of urban fixes. And while we're talking about urban fixes, you really should read Rachel's paper on the idea of the 'fix' called By our metaphors you shall know us’: The ‘fix’ of geographical political economy. Rachel says the celebratory policy narratives about innovation and progress often stand in stark contrast to the lack of urban policy innovation on the groun