Street, Palace, Square

This is a new book. Condition: Brand New.

Can architecture ever be democratic? An elegant new theory of politics and urban design

Building requires power and resources - then, once created, our environment structures how we relate to each other. But what would a distinctly democratic built environment look like? Should we prioritize an inclusive process by which as many citizens as possible can decide how a building is designed? Or is it about how architecture and urban spaces can best represent democracy to citizens - and how building and city planning can concretely facilitate democratic action by citizens?

In Street, Palace, Square, political theorist Jan-Werner M ller offers an elegant new account of architecture and democracy that draws on examples from Washington DC to Dhaka, Cairo to Berlin. Ranging widely across political philosophy, history and design, he shows that bringing architecture and democracy together has an unexpected benefit. As we reflect on spaces and symbols on the one hand and our understandings of democracy on the other, we might see possibilities we did not see before: how to create spaces for citizens to make politics their own.

Book details and technical specifications

Format: Hardback
ISBN13: 9780241382035
Published: May 2026

Number of pages: 272
Width: 143 mm
Height: 222 mm
Depth: 28 mm

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd