How are social and cultural processes reflected in urban spaces? And what can ethnography tell us about this? Drawing on more than two decades of fieldwork, anthropologist Seth Lowe shows how ethnographically based spatial analysis can shed light on the everyday lives of people whose homes and communities are being invaded by globalization, uneven development, violence and social inequality. . Lowe develops the concept of the “spatial embodiment of culture”, which simultaneously includes several conceptual frameworks: from social production and the social construction of space to the analysis of corporeality, discourse, emotions, affects and translocality. In combining these approaches, the author sees a way to take a fresh look at human interaction with the environment in urban planning and architecture. The challenge that her concept helps solve is to offer practitioners new methods for creating socially responsive and environmentally sustainable urban environments. Setha Low is a professor of anthropology, earth and environmental sciences (geography), environmental psychology, and women's studies at the Graduate Center of New York City University. York (CUNY Graduate Center).