Marxism And Real Estate Development

This book straddles two worlds and attempts to bring them together: that of Lefebvre's Marxism on the one hand, and that of real estate development on the other. Lefebvre has now become a household name amongst many contemporary Marxists, especially those with an interest in urban planning and certain quarters of the architectural profession, however his work is far less well known by real estate professionals, whether investors, developers, brokers, or, indeed, policymakers. Marxism and Real Estate: Taking Lefebvre Seriously has both a large scope and a very bold aim – to use an explication and analysis of the work of Henri Lefebvre not only to present a critique of development, but, also to draw these two worlds together. It therefore, first, aims to present the arguments of this increasingly well-known French Marxist philosopher, sociologist, and pioneer of urban studies; second, to situate contemporary real estate development in the light of Lefebvre's work; and third, to analyse the potential application of Lefebvre’s work to each of the major components of contemporary real estate, to use Lefebvre's work in order to recommend practical action for developers, working alongside planners and architects, to influence the future of global real estate. As well as its direction at developers themselves, this book should be of interest to economists, real estate researchers and professionals, planners, urban studies scholars and, of course, to those interested in the application of Lefebvre's work to real estate.

In every major city in the world there is a housing crisis. How did this happen and what can we do about it? Everyone needs and deserves housing. But today our homes are being transformed into commodities, making the inequalities of the city ever more acute. Profit has become more important than social need. The poor are forced to pay more for worse housing. Communities are faced with the violence of displacement and gentrification. And the benefits of decent housing are only available for those who can afford it. In Defense of Housing is the definitive statement on this crisis from leading urban planner Peter Marcuse and sociologist David Madden. They look at the causes and consequences of the housing problem and detail the need for progressive alternatives. The housing crisis cannot be solved by minor policy shifts, they argue. Rather, the housing crisis has deep political and economic roots—and therefore requires a radical response.

An assessment of the scholarship on cities that has developed within Marxism in the past quarter of a century to show how some of the most important weaknesses in Marxism as a social theory can be remedied by forcing it to engage seriously with cities and

The Advanced Introduction to Marxism and Human Geography explores the fundamental aspects of Marx’s conceptualization of capital and of capitalist development, including value theory, the class relation, accumulation and the development of the capitalist division of labor. Kevin Cox goes beyond simplistic analysis to further engage with key concepts, and how their relationships with one another can illuminate the human geography of the world.

Originally published in 1985, Land Rent, Housing and Urban Planning looks at the crucial social relationships associated with land ownership, and how these have played a crucial role in the economic development of many societies. The understanding of these relationships within modern capitalist societies has proved difficult. Land ownership relations emerge as requiring specific historical analysis for specific periods and societies and as being integral aspects of the capitalist mode of production as a whole – not merely mechanisms which redistribute some independently-determined surplus.