Vanmorgen ging mijn vriend Richard stemmen op het Columbusplein in Amsterdam West. Tot zijn verbazing stond er een rij voor de tafels waar je op vertoon van je identiteitsbewijs je stembiljetten krijgt. Twee Hollandse vrouwen gingen hem voor. Hun kroost... Continue Reading →
In their quest to understand the city, urban researchers can choose to emerge into sociological theories or mingle into the everyday struggle of the street and learn from what they see. Let me tell you a ‘small story that rethinks... Continue Reading →
Before dusk and dawn the city cleaners drink their coffee in the canteen at the wharf. A room full of strong men in orange and black suites, on their shoulders three crosses that symbolize the municipality of Amsterdam. These men... Continue Reading →
Last week, on a quiet Sunday morning when Berlin was still asleep, I encountered a naked woman on top of a traffic pole. I wasn’t the first to see her. The streets around the pole were blocked as police officers... Continue Reading →
The RC21 urban studies conference in Berlin triggered participants to rethink the resourcefulness of cities in today’s urbanized world. A wide variety of papers turned on sociologist’s fancy for topics ranging from gentrification, to conflict, to geography, and back to... Continue Reading →
On the day that I had a meeting at the University of Chicago I looked at the map and naively decided to take the green line to 63th street and Cottage Grove. As soon as sat my ass down at... Continue Reading →
On the first day Chicago overwhelmed me by its size. I took the blue line into town from O’hare and the ride took over an hour. At Clark and Lake I changed to the pink line that would bring me... Continue Reading →
Small Stories to rethink Large Issues 