Urban flashpoints

Chapter 1

Anti-gentrification movement in Jaffa

Jaffa appears to be flourishing because of gentrification, with old houses being renovated and stylish new businesses popping up. But is this bringing new life to the area or contributing to the displacement of Palestinians? We investigate.

Chapter 2

Moscow’s Triumfalnaya Square

Moscow may not have the revolutionary image enjoyed by St Petersburg but in the past 30 or so years it has increasingly taken over as the focus of protest activity. We head to one square in the centre of the city that has been particularly caught up in the action.

Chapter 3

Hong Kong’s Umbrella revolution – one year on

At about this time last year hundreds of thousands of defiant citizens in Hong Kong took to the streets to demand the democracy they had been promised. September marked the anniversary of what has been hailed as the largest demonstration for political freedom on Chinese soil since the Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989. We look back to the revolution and examine its legacy.

Chapter 4

Desnudas: going topless for equality

How an urban flashpoint is covered in the media can have a huge influence on how it pans out. Tabloids played a key role in fuelling this summer’s big urban flashpoint in New York: body-painted women took to Times Square in support of the desnudas, topless women who take photos with tourists for tips.