A new issue of Cityscapes Magazine was officially launched at The Book Lounge, on Tuesday 19 November 2019. The new issue themed Passages is a collection of stories that explore the nature(s) of movement, the impact it has on how we live and who we are, as well as the lives that are made – mobile and immobile – after the passage.
At first glance, readers will notice design improvements and also a greater reliance on striking photography to reinforce key news stories and amplify reportage. The magazine also sports a new tagline ‘urbanism beyond geography’. According to contributing editor Edgar Pieterse, it signals the magazine’s ongoing commitment to foreground stories and perspectives from the global South whilst disrupting a narrow reading of “global South” as a geographical reference:
“Instead, we want to insist that global South is a conceptual manoeuvre that allows the perspectives and interests of marginalised groups and people to be foregrounded empirically and theoretically. Thus, for example, in the new issue we have a great piece on the significance of the Notting hill Carnival, the experiences of the African diaspora in Atlanta, alongside stories about Managua, Sao Paulo, Karachi and so forth.”
Apart from that the content recipe remains intact: great writing from people who live and work in the contexts reported on; interviews with urban scholars doing pathbreaking work; bespoke illustrations by some of the best graphic designers; and a diversity of perspectives and voices to provide a textured account of emergent urban dynamics across the world.
In conjunction with the launch of the issue, Cityscapes has also launched a new website where you can read some of the stories online as well as access content from previous issues. Look out for a new podcast series that will be made available on the website in 2021.
Beyond the magazine, Cityscapes are also hoping to organise regular Cityscapes Live events related to the magazine and beyond in different parts of the world, in key urban centres across the global South. The team is also working on a major exhibition that will manifest in 2022.