Automobilities in Walter Mosley’s Detective Fiction and Film
Judith A. Nicholson
Judith Nicholson examines the importance of depictions of African American automobilities to Walter Mosley’s detective fiction and its screen adaptations.
vol. 8
Introduction: Mediating Urban Automobility
Cortland Rankin
In his introduction to the dossier, Cortland Rankin considers the roles media has played in reflecting, interpreting, and shaping the relationship between automobility and urbanism.
The Nest in the Shell: Postwar Automobility and Film Noir Cars
Michael Stock
Michael Stock develops a phenomenological reading of automobility in film noir, arguing that the contradictory space of the car – “a nest within a shell” – is frequently depicted as destabilizing the family home.
Voices Episode 3: Amy Y. Zhang, Asa Roast and Carwyn Morris on Wanghong Urbanism
Scott Rodgers
In the latest episode of our Voices podcast series, Amy Y. Zhang, Asa Roast and Carwyn Morris discuss with Scott Rodgers their recent Deep Dive essay on 'wanghong urbanism', and how this concept might help interpret the relations of social media and urban life.
Piazza Navona’s Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow: Cinema, Peirce, Lynch, and the Dynamicity of Spatial Perception
Hamed Goharipour
Hamed Goharipour uses personal experiences at Rome's Piazza Navona and its depiction in the film Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow to explore how cinema shapes our perception and experience of urban space.
Bollywood’s Blockbusters: The Rise of the Indian Multiplex Theater and its Impacts
Sophie Mode
In this Student Voices essay, Sophie Mode explores the integration of multiplex cinemas into sprawling malls, or the "malltiplex," in Mumbai.
Temporal Possibilities of Set Design and Architecture in Jacques Tati’s Mon Oncle
Anna Molloy
In this Student Voices essay, Anna Molloy explicates the architectural set design of Jacques Tati's film Mon Oncle.
From a Derelict Mansion to the Malibu Coast: Film Noir, Urban Spaces, and the Articulation of Gender Identity in Los Angeles
Junyi Zhou
In this Student Voices essay, Vassar student Junyi Zhou considers the representation of gender relations in post-war film noir set in Los Angeles.
Columbus Plays Itself
Charlie Tynan
In this Student Voices essay, Vassar student Charlie Tynan analyzes architecture and emotionality in the 2017 film Columbus.
Teaching Film Urbanism
Erica Stein
Erica Stein discusses the syllabus for her course "Cinemas and Urbanisms" and introduces the essays in the Student Voices section.
A caring Beijing through public fitness equipment
Laura Vermeeren
Laura Vermeeren examines the proliferation of state-sponsored outdoor fitness areas in Beijing. Often used by retirees, these “senior playgrounds” embody both Chinese philosophies of wellbeing and neoliberal practices of self-care.
Healthy Cities and Bodies: Reflections on New Paradigms of Urban Wellbeing
Vincent Baptist
Drawing on examples from Amsterdam to Venice, Vincent Baptist analyses two emerging urban paradigms — the “smooth city” and the “wellness city” — as models for understanding the reciprocal relations of care between cities and their inhabitants.