Dr Jessica Symons (University of Salford and a member of UPRISE) and Dr Camilla Lewis (University of Manchester) are collaborating on the development of a new edited collection Realising the city, scheduled for publication in March 2016 by Manchester University Press.
(Photo credit: Mark Treacher)
This collection will bring together 10 ethnographic accounts from researchers working in Manchester over the past 2 decades. The volume captures ethnographic accounts of people’s lived experiences across the city providing a nuanced story of urban dynamics that focuses on the detail of people’s lives. It takes the Manchester city region as a site for analysis and provides ethnographic insights into the day-to-day activities of city makers – politicians, administrators, company leaders, activists and residents. Across the city, in residential neighbourhoods, in cultural events in the city council, in businesses, at the city’s airport, people’s decisions and actions co-produce the city and give its shape.
Jessica is committed to promoting ethnographic research as a rich resource for urban decision makers and this collection will contribute to this agenda. The ongoing development of a crowdsourced ‘Urban Ethnography Map’ – a google map of cities with links to related ethnographies – also forms part of her activities http://bit.ly/21sfuMR. Development of this map is sponsored by the Greater Manchester Local Innovation Platform funded by Mistra Urban Futures.