Work

Urban theory in anti-theoretical times

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This commentary engages with Robert W. Lake's cautionary piece ‘on resisting the seductions of theory’. It highlights points of agreement with Lake's argument, particularly on the place of theory within urban analysis, before outlining two broader concerns the piece raises. The first has to do with where and by whom theory is ‘done’; the second with how Lake's argument sits in a crudely anti-theoretical moment in which the risks of taking certain theoretical positions are more serious than the danger of going out of intellectual style.

Source: Dialogues in Urban Research

DOI: 10.1177/27541258251323809

Author: Fran Tonkiss

Institution: London School of Economics and Political Science

Language: English

Topic: Urban Planning and Governance

Subfield: Urban Studies

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Sustainable cities and communities

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,400