It is named after the Second Ring Road. . . 

That follows around the path of the Old City Walls, just outside where they would be if they hadn't been taken down in the 1950s. . . 

The Second Ring Road holds many of the historical places and cultural sites, the hutong alleyways, the imperial buildings and temples, as well as the central government institutions such as Zhongnanhai and The Great Hall of the People. It is the most "Beijing" part of Beijing, and thus a good symbolic container for reading different parts of the city. 

Each "reading" will give a general overview of texts, or critical perspectives, and then look at a few individual works/websites, which will give a taste of each type of reading. . .