Riku Yamagawa | Zenta Nio's 'Human City: The Jeepneys and Uncles that Make Manila's Heartbeat'
This book depicts the human activity that forms the city through Manila's jeepneys and their drivers, the 'uncles'.Summary
The book 'Human City: The Jeepneys and Uncles that Make Manila's Heartbeat' by Zenta Nio focuses on the jeepney, a major public transport in Manila, Philippines, and the 'uncles' (a term for those involved in its operation) who work behind it. The author argues that the jeepney, which developed within historical contexts of colonial rule, war, and post-war reconstruction, is not just a vehicle but the very 'heartbeat of the city' where diverse individual human activities intersect. Moving beyond the 'desperate city' narrative often found in political and economic urban studies, the book, based on nearly a decade of engagement, presents the complex relationships—among operators, drivers, and mechanics—and the negotiations and solidarity seen in concrete actions like strikes against modernization projects. It thus proposes a 'true modernity' and urbanity that resists dominant human images.
(Source：artscape)