Faculty Spotlight: Andy Battle on Capitalism and Urbanization, Eric Adams, Cop City, and the Right to the City

In episode four of Faculty Spotlight, hosts Mark and Lauren interview Andy Battle, BISR faculty and urban historian. The three discuss: why cities are so radicalizing–and alienating; the deep connection between capitalism and urbanization; how “private welfare states” drive up the cost up the cost (sometimes prohibitively) of building infrastructure; what Henri Lefebvre means by the “Right to the City”; Eric Adams (and his parallels with Trump); dance culture (and “dis-alienation”); and Cop City, the “outside agitator,” and why “policing is what’s left when you can’t or won’t…address the problems” that fundamentally beset us.

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This episode of the Podcast for Social Research is produced by Elliot Yokum. If you like what you’ve heard, consider subscribing to Brooklyn Institute’s Patreon page, where you can enjoy access to all past and future episodes of the podcast.