People Power in Cities

With billions now living in cities across an increasingly urban planet, hopes for the future depend on the power of ordinary people to shape urban life. In an era plagued by intensifying inequality, authoritarianism and climate change, residents of cities are facing crises on multiple fronts. In response, people are coming together to find solutions. What does it take for them to change their city for good?

People Power in Cities analyzes the strategies people are using to fight for social and climate justice and achieve a greater say in how their cities are run. Highlighting the voices of organizers, activists, thinkers, and movements on the ground, Amanda Tattersall and Kurt Iveson reveal complex ecologies of people struggling for rights to home, dignity, and freedom. They draw from examples around the world, such as the fluid 'be water' tactics used by crowds in Hong Kong, micro-utopia squats in Cape Town, and electoral reclamation of institutions in Barcelona. Unpacking the advantages and limitations of each strategy, Tattersall and Iveson argue against seeing any one as a 'silver bullet' to the dilemmas faced by urban movements. Instead they explore the potential for complementary combinations of strategies like advocacy, protest, organizing, prefiguration and running for office that are too often seen in competition. The result is a people power framework that unlocks opportunities for urban movements everywhere seeking to create change. An essential guide for researchers and organizers alike, People Power in Cities makes sense of the dynamic, interconnected, and insurgent urban moment, helping us seize the opportunities for democratic experimentation available in our cities.

Amanda Tattersall is an Associate Professor of Practice in urban geography at the University of Sydney. She is a civil society leader, co-founding GetUp.org.au and she brought US-style community organising to Australia by founding and leading the Sydney Alliance. She researches social change strategy, authoring Power in Coalition (2010). She translated community organizing into a community-led research method (relational method), and since 2019 has convened the Real Deal for Australia project on climate transition coordinating community-led research projects across five regions. Since 2017 she has hosted the ChangeMakers Podcast, which as of 2025 has had over 2 million downloads.

Kurt Iveson is Professor of Urban Geography at the University of Sydney. Across a range of books and articles, he has explored the politics of public spaces, the role of planning in addressing urban injustice, and the strategies that urban inhabitants use to build more just cities - from informal neighbourhood interventions to organized social movements. He is also an active unionist (including a stint as President of the University of Sydney Branch of the National Tertiary Education Union), and has participated in Sydney Alliance Research Action Teams on a range of issues including transport, energy and housing justice since 2011.