The view from above: the science of social space

In mid-20th century France, the term 'social space' ( l'espace social) - the idea that spatial form and social life are inextricably linked - emerged in a variety of social science disciplines.

Taken up by the French New Left, it also came to inform the practice of urban planning.

In this book, Haffner traces the evolution of the science of social space from the interwar period to the 1970s, illuminating in particular the role of aerial photography in this new way of conceptualizing socio-spatial relations.