Density as a politics of value: Regulation, speculation, and popular urbanism

Abstract

Density is at the centre of urban change, and is often politicised. Building on Geographical and Urban scholarship, we set out a critical approach to understanding density through a focus on value. Following a review of key approaches to density, we show that while value is often at stake in efforts to manage, change, defend, or promote densities of different kinds, it has rarely been the explicit focus of critical research on density. We address this by outlining how density propositions entail a politics of value through three inter-related urban domains: speculation, regulation, and the popular, followed by consequences for future research.