Key papers in Urban Studies
Pofolia’s corpus holds 84 papers from the Urban Studies subfield (2012–2022). The list below starts with the most cited.
Most cited
Ranked by citation count. Because citations accumulate over time, this list naturally leans towards work published a few years ago; for where the field is now, see “recently added”.
The Death and Life of Great American Cities
2015 · FWCI 2899.19 · 8,076 citations
This abstract outlines a book that analyzes the complex dynamics of urban life, focusing on how cities function, the conditions that foster diversity, and the forces that lead to their decline or regeneration.
World health statistics 2016 : monitoring health for the SDGs, sustainable development goals
Virtual Defense Library (Ministerio de Defensa) · 2016 · FWCI 143.49 · 3,359 citations
This report provides a comprehensive overview of global health statistics, focusing on monitoring progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to health.
The theory of the leisure class: an economic study of institutions
Annals of Leisure Research · 2019 · Q1 · FWCI 782.26 · 2,364 citations
This abstract describes Thorstein Veblen's 1899 book, "The Theory of the Leisure Class," as a thorough and holistic approach to economic theory that was unlike contemporary works.
Rebel cities: from the right to the city to the urban revolution
Choice Reviews Online · 2013 · 1,906 citations
This book argues that cities are central battlegrounds for class struggle, where social justice and ecological sustainability can be pursued through anti-capitalist resistance.
Cities: Reimagining the Urban
Progress in Human Geography · 2020 · Q1 · SJR 3.00 · 1,855 citations
This book challenges contemporary urban theory by arguing that the city is no longer a bounded entity but is instead a dispersed phenomenon intertwined with the wider world.
International Journal of Design
International Journal of Design · 2021 · 1,614 citations · Open access
Over 50% of architectural conceptual designs are aided by artificial intelligence, which excels at analyzing data and generating draft plans for architects.
On the Double Object Construction
2014 · FWCI 819.93 · 1,610 citations
This paper analyzes the double object construction in English within the framework of binding and government theory.
The Creative City
2012 · FWCI 157.59 · 1,508 citations
This book argues for imaginative approaches to urban development and management, offering global examples of innovation and regeneration.
Towards a new epistemology of the urban?
City · 2015 · Q1 · FWCI 581.21 · 1,475 citations
This paper proposes a radical rethinking of how we understand urban life, arguing for a new epistemology of the urban based on seven theses. It aims to clarify the stakes in contemporary urban debates and provide an analytical basis for understanding rapidly changing urban geographies.
The Cultural Industries
2019 · FWCI 46.50 · 1,130 citations
This abstract outlines a book exploring the evolution of cultural industries from the 20th century to 2012, focusing on changes in policy, ownership, and the impact of digitalization.
The Triumph of the City: How our Greatest Invention Makes us Richer, Smarter, Greener, Healthier, and Happier
The Social Science Journal · 2012 · Q2 · FWCI 402.58 · 1,096 citations
Contrary to predictions of urban decline, cities are presented as humanity's most successful invention, driving economic prosperity, innovation, and improved well-being.
De la division du travail social
Presses Universitaires de France eBooks · 2013 · FWCI 55.47 · 1,067 citations
This work posits that the division of labor is a fundamental natural law driving societal evolution, profoundly impacting human morality and development.
Resilience as embedded neoliberalism: a governmentality approach
Resilience · 2013 · FWCI 221.28 · 1,022 citations · Open access
This article argues that resilience, despite its systemic claims, functions as a form of governmentality emphasizing individual responsibility and adaptability, particularly within Anglo-Saxon contexts.
The Mediatization of Culture and Society
2013 · FWCI 72.49 · 1,016 citations
This book offers a theoretical framework for understanding 'mediatization,' a concept that analyzes how media become deeply integrated into and influence social institutions and cultural phenomena.
Global Networks, Linked Cities
2016 · FWCI 36.85 · 869 citations
This collection expands on Saskia Sassen's 'The Global City' concept by examining how information flows create networks binding global cities together and exploring emerging global cities in the developing world.
The Routledge Handbook on Cities of the Global South
2014 · FWCI 59.47 · 869 citations
Discussions on health within urban studies of the Global South are notably absent, despite significant theoretical advancements in understanding these cities beyond developmental frameworks.
The Nature of Cities: The Scope and Limits of Urban Theory
International Journal of Urban and Regional Research · 2014 · Q1 · SJR 1.00 · FWCI 323.81 · 859 citations · Open access
This article proposes a unified theoretical framework for understanding all cities, combining agglomeration/polarization dynamics with the nexus of locations, land uses, and human interactions.
Shrinking Cities: Urban Challenges of Globalization
International Journal of Urban and Regional Research · 2012 · Q1 · SJR 1.00 · FWCI 135.70 · 858 citations
Urban shrinkage, a long-documented phenomenon of population flight and housing abandonment, is now recognized as a global and multidimensional issue requiring redefinition of orthodox views on urban decline.
The Dynamics of Social Practice
2012 · FWCI 344.12 · 843 citations
This paper proposes a framework for understanding social practices and their change, positing that practices rely on materials, meanings, and competences, and are sustained by willing participants.
(Not) Getting Paid to Do What You Love
Yale University Press eBooks · 2017 · FWCI 77.14 · 837 citations
Many women use social media platforms for fulfilling careers, but a significant gap exists between the few who achieve lucrative success and the majority whose "passion projects" become unpaid labor for brands.
Recently added
Disjuncture and Difference in the Global Cultural Economy
2022 · FWCI 252.76 · 409 citations
The global cultural economy is a complex, overlapping, disjunctive order, not explainable by traditional center-periphery models, where cultural reproduction is increasingly politicized and exposed to deterritorialization.
International Journal of Design
International Journal of Design · 2021 · 1,614 citations · Open access
Over 50% of architectural conceptual designs are aided by artificial intelligence, which excels at analyzing data and generating draft plans for architects.
Creativity and Cultural Improvisation
2021 · FWCI 71.54 · 658 citations
This collection of essays explores creativity and cultural improvisation across various disciplines, including anthropology, art, and social sciences, examining how individuals and groups create, appropriate, and adapt cultural phenomena over time.
Cities: Reimagining the Urban
Progress in Human Geography · 2020 · Q1 · SJR 3.00 · 1,855 citations
This book challenges contemporary urban theory by arguing that the city is no longer a bounded entity but is instead a dispersed phenomenon intertwined with the wider world.
Communication and Cultural Domination
2019 · FWCI 25.44 · 604 citations
Post-WWII political independence has not ended economic dependency for two-thirds of nations, leading to a growing struggle over cultural-communications domination.
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