This Open Access book explores the emergent phenomenon of ‘paranoid urbanism’ within contemporary urban policy and politics. The authors explore the more recent literature on social mistrust, paranoia and conspiracy and discuss the specific spatial, material and social dimensions of urban paranoia. Using the 15-minute city and low-traffic neighbourhood policies as case studies, this book analyses the causes, mechanisms and effects of paranoid urbanism to suggest useful analytical tools to study and scrutinise processes of paranoid urbanism. The authors also propose ways to address and overcome the destructive effects of paranoid urbanism, including properly acknowledging – rather than dismissing out of hand – the social causes and concerns driving paranoid urbanism; and repairing and strengthening trust relationships among urban actors including community and neighbourhood groups.

Simon Joss is Professor of Urban Futures and Head of School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Glasgow, UK.

Federico Caprotti is Professor in Human Geography at the University of Exeter, UK.