Researching the City

Book excerpt: ‘Extends a warm welcome to students who have come face-to-face with the daunting task of producing a dissertation. Written in an accessible and engaging style, it deals with the nitty-gritty of researching the city... a must-have for the student!’ - Kim England, University of Washington ‘An invaluable guide to urban research design for undergraduate and graduate students alike. It provides the novice researcher with a wealth of practical advice on theory, methods, writing style, and everything else one needs to know to design and manage a successful urban research project. I wish this book had been available when I started my research career!′ - Byron Miller, University of Calgary ‘Replete with tremendously useful advice and guidance for students of all social-science disciplines undertaking significant research projects on urban issues... students writing undergraduate and master’s theses, or even doctoral dissertations, are likely to find it tremendously useful as well.’ - David L. Imbroscio, University of Louisville This practical guide for students focuses on the city and on the different ways to research it. The authors explains how research is done, from the original idea to design and implementation, through to writing up and representation. Substantive chapters explain each method in detail, from using archival methods, interviews, ethnography, questionnaires, discourse analysis and diaries, to using GIS and visual methods. With real world examples throughout and guided further reading for each chapter, it is an inspiring guide for students carrying out their own research in urban geography, urban planning, urban studies and urban sociology courses.