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@article{ Inam2022, title = {Fits-and-Starts: The Changing Nature of the Material City}, author = {Inam, Aseem}, journal = {Urban Planning}, number = {1}, pages = {56-71}, volume = {7}, year = {2022}, issn = {2183-7635}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.17645/up.v7i1.4501}, abstract = {How and why does the material city in the late 20th and early 21st century change? This article examines one type of prominent urban change, which is "fits-and-starts" and represents change that is concentrated in space and time and that nonetheless has longer term repercussions with high economic and environmental costs. Through a review of the literature and an illuminating case study in Las Vegas, this article reveals how human perception and decision-making via two interrelated phenomena, future speculation and manufactured obsolescence, drive such change. The case study in Las Vegas is particularly fascinating because as a city of apparent extremes, it not only reveals in clear relief phenomena that are present in the capitalist city but it also offers insights into basic patterns of decision-making that actually shape - or design - the contemporary city. The article concludes with more general insights into the nature of this type of urban change and implications for alternative types of urban practices.}, }