Paperback
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+ free ebook
+ free ebook
A global study of the financialisation of housing.
In Urban Warfare, Rolnik charts how the financialisation of housing has become a global crisis, as models of home ownership, originating in the US and UK, are being exported around the world. These developments were largely organised by htosw who benefit the most: construction companies and banks, supported by government-facilitated schemes, such as 'the right to buy', subsidies, and micro-financing.
Using examples ranging from Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Chile, Israel, Haiti, the UK and especially Brazil, Rolnik shows how our homes and neighbourhoods have effectively become the “last subprime frontiers of capitalism”. This neoliberal colonialism is experienced on the scale of the city but also within our everyday lives. Yet since the financial crisis and wider urban politics that have left millions homeless, forced from their homes because of urban development politics, and mega-events such as the Rio World Cup in 2013. These narratives are weaved together with theoretical reflections and empirical evidence to explain the crisis in depth. In response, Rolnik restates the political need for activism and resistance. Examining in detail the June Days protests in Rio, 2013-14, she shows that housing remains an essential, and global, struggle.
Her lengthy CV lists countless qualifications, civic achievements, books and publications – but Raquel Rolnik makes no mention of dabbling in witchcraft.
That woman from Brazil.
Loopy Brazilian Leftie.
A truly brilliant book
The clarity and vehemence of [Urban Warfare] is a tonic for anyone used to the combination of boosterism and sentimentality that marks so much urbanist writing.
The power of Rolnik’s book lies in its geographical diversity, the implicit and explicit linkages made between apparently diverse case studies and its political commitment to adequate and accessible housing.
At a time when much current academic research on housing and urban studies prioritises the technical and methodological over the conceptual, big data over thick description, the numerous, short vignettes in Rolnik’s book remind us of the effectiveness of a real story to convey a wider message.