[sustran] RATIONALITY AND POWER, sustran-discuss

Bent Flyvbjerg AAU flyvbjerg at i4.auc.dk
Wed Mar 18 04:24:27 JST 1998


Dear Colleagues.

I thought you might be interested to know that my book RATIONALITY AND 
POWER has just been published by the University of Chicago Press. Below, 
please find information about the book, including pre-reviews.

If this mail is of no interest to you I am sorry and apologize for any 
inconvenience. Also apologies for any cross posting.

Sincerely,

Bent Flyvbjerg, Professor
Aalborg University, Dept. of Development and Planning
9220 Aalborg, Denmark
email: flyvbjerg at i4.auc.dk


FROM THE COVER AND PUBLISHER'S INFORMATION MATERIAL:
In Rationality and Power, Bent Flyvbjerg takes the reader behind the 
scenes to uncover the Realpolitik--and real rationality--in an 
internationally acclaimed transport and city planning project in the 
Danish town of Aalborg, but it could be anywhere. Aalborg is to 
Flyvbjerg what Florence was to Machiavelli: a laboratory for 
understanding power. The reader witnesses, firsthand, the classic and 
endless drama which defines what transport and city planning are and can 
be. The result is a fascinating narrative that is both concrete and 
general, current and timeless. Flyvbjerg shows how power warps 
deliberation in planning and policy-making. He demonstrates how 
"rationality" can only be an ideal when confronted with the real 
rationalities involved in transport and city planning. He then 
elaborates on how fruitful deliberation and action can occur.

"Flyvbjerg--quite wrongly fearing his account will appear as an 'obscure 
story from an obscure corner of the earth written by an obscure 
scholar'--has taken the development of a transport plan for the Danish 
city of Aalborg, and made it into a metaphor for our time. The question 
'what to do about the buses' becomes the question 'what to do about 
abuse of power'. There is not a transport planner in the world who will 
fail to recognise the scheme's slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. 
Best of all, there's a happy ending . . . Read this book, squirm and 
learn."
PHIL GOODWIN, EDITOR, TRANSPORT POLICY

"A milestone . . . with vigorous prose and a wonderful sense of humor . 
. . It is a very special and substantial contribution to understanding 
urban decision making."
RALPH GAKENHEIMER, MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

"I have read and re-read the book. It is superb, a real breakthrough. It 
will be a classic in its field." 
C. ROLAND CHRISTENSEN, HARVARD UNIVERSITY

"I have not encountered a better case study of urban planning." 
DONALD A. SCHÖN, MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

"Impressive in detail and comprehensiveness--rare for an issue of this 
kind."  
ROBERT A. DAHL, YALE UNIVERSITY

"A brilliant, provocative blending of empirical research and political 
philosophy." 
JOHN FRIEDMANN, UCLA AND ROYAL MELBOURNE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

"A really fine demonstration of the value of in-depth storytelling . . . 
I anticipate that Rationality and Power will be very widely used." 
PATSY HEALEY, UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE

"A seminal work. [The] book is unusual (and, hence, much needed) because 
it points both to the ubiquity and necessity of power." 
AARON WILDAVSKY, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY


MORE INFORMATION:
Ordering information at http://www.press.uchicago.edu and 
http://www.press.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/hfs.cgi/00/13393.ctl

Or order at:
Email: custserv at press.uchicago.edu
postal: The University of Chicago Press, 11030 S. Langley Ave., Chicago, 
IL 60628, U.S.A.
phone: 1-800-621-2736 or 1-773-568-1550
fax: 1-800-621-8471/8476 or 1-773-660-2235

If you are an editor or review editor, you may obtain a review copy of 
Rationality and Power from: 

Barbara C. Fillon
The University of Chicago Press
5801 Ellis Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60637-1496, USA
Tel: (773) 702 7700
Fax: (773) 702-9756
e-mail: bcf at press.uchicago.edu

Please feel free to forward this message to any relevant person.



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