Water and power networks and urban fragmentation in Los Angeles: rethinking assumed mechanisms
Article
Article Title | Water and power networks and urban fragmentation in Los Angeles: rethinking assumed mechanisms |
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ERA Journal ID | 2011 |
Article Category | Article |
Authors | MacKillop, Fionn (Author) and Boudreau, Julie-Anne (Author) |
Journal Title | Geoforum |
Journal Citation | 39 (6), pp. 1833-1842 |
Number of Pages | 10 |
Year | 2008 |
Place of Publication | Oxford, United Kingdom |
ISSN | 0016-7185 |
1872-9398 | |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2008.07.005 |
Abstract | Los Angeles is often described as the epitome of urban fragmentation, a notion which in this context is frequently connected to, or even conflated with urban sprawl. At the same time, the city features integrated water and power networks which have been under public ownership for over 70 years. We thus have an apparent paradox in the context of the debate on 'splintering urbanism', between socio-spatial fragmentation and the integration of networks. In discussing the idea that deregulation of infrastructural networks exacerbates urban fragmentation, the authors use the case of Los Angeles in order to highlight the central role of private interests in management decisions concerning infrastructure networks. The authors carry out their analysis in an historical perspective, revealing that network integration and universal access can often serve private interests more than the public good. Urban fragmentation in Los Angeles, they conclude, is the result of a complex process of instrumentalisation of network development and management. |
Keywords | incorporation; integration; Los Angeles; secession; splintering urbanism; sprawl; urban fragmentation; urban networks; water and power networks |
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 400508. Infrastructure engineering and asset management |
441016. Urban sociology and community studies | |
330410. Urban analysis and development | |
Public Notes | Permanent restricted access to published version due to publisher copyright policy. |
Byline Affiliations | Durham University, United Kingdom |
National Institute for Scientific Research, Canada | |
Institution of Origin | University of Southern Queensland |
https://research.usq.edu.au/item/q0q22/water-and-power-networks-and-urban-fragmentation-in-los-angeles-rethinking-assumed-mechanisms
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