The Urban Turn

The book is an overview and analysis of the contemporary location, distribution and dynamics of economic activity, uneven geographies of growth and the local economic development processes. Focus is on the localisation of the knowledge economy and talent, e.g. the part of the labour force which is central to the production, use and distribution of knowledge. The urban turn emphasises the importance of cities and city regions as the key places that generates economic growth in modern capitalism. The resurgence of large cities has happened concurrently with the rise of the knowledge economy and together with the increased use of talent. Thus, this book examines the relationships between the knowledge economy and city regions and how this challenge local and regional development.

Cities for Profit examines the phenomenon of urban real estate megaprojects in Asia—massive, privately built planned urban developments that have captured the imagination of politicians, policymakers, and citizens across the region. These controversial projects, embraced by elites, occasion massive displacement and have extensive social and economic impacts. Gavin Shatkin finds commonalities and similarities in dozens of such projects in Jakarta, Kolkata, and Chongqing. Shatkin is at the vanguard of urban studies in his focus on real estate. Just as cities are increasingly defined and remapped according to the value of the land under their residents’ feet, the lives of city dwellers are shaped and constrained by their ability to keep up with rising costs of urban life. Scholars and policy and planning professionals alike will benefit from Shatkin’s comprehensive research. Cities for Profit contains insights from more than 150 interviews, site visits to projects, and data from government and nongovernmental organization reports and data, urban plans, architectural renderings, annual reports and promotional materials of developers, and newspaper and other media accounts.

DIVAn anthology that explores film works by the "urban generation,"--filmmakers who operate outside of "mainstream" (officially sanctioned) Chinese cinema -- whose impact has been enormous./div

Narratives, in the context of urban planning, matter profoundly. Planning theory and practice have taken an increasing interest in the role and power of narrative, and yet there is no comprehensive study of how narrative, and concepts from narrative and literary theory more broadly, can enrich planning and policy. The Narrative Turn in Urban Planning addresses this gap by defining key concepts such as story, narrative, and plot against a planning backdrop, and by drawing up a functional typology of different planning narratives. In two extended case studies from the planning of the Helsinki waterfront, it applies the narrative concepts and theories to a broad range of texts and practices, considering ways toward a more conscious and contextualized future urban planning. Questioning what is meant when we speak of narratives in urban planning, and what typologies we can draw up, it presents a threefold taxonomy of narratives within a planning framework. This book will serve as an important reference text for upper-level students and researchers interested in urban planning.

With climate change in the news, an urban core that has reached boiling point, and many children growing up without role models and with limited dreams, where is hope? There is a quiet experiment in Milwaukee that is turning heads. It starts with the simplicity of getting a city kid exploring their neighborhood park. How is it that so much life, community, and opportunity can grow from this unlikely soil? It's been called a miracle. It's contagious. It's spreading. It's exciting. And it works! This is the story of a group of ordinary people in a neighborhood who created something extraordinary. Readers will discover... the power of getting a city kid outside in nature; that kindness does work; how to say no while following the yes; the value of clarity and focus; how to find abundance within their own diverse community by simply and humbly asking for help; ten tried and tested rules for raising money (a lot of it!) while having a ton of fun doing it; a positive, believable, and very real vision for the future of the environment (we've got this!); and... how to join the Urban Ecology movement.

From local bike-sharing initiatives to overhauls of transport infrastructure, mobility is one of the most important areas in which modern cities are trying to realize a more sustainable future. Yet even as politicians and planners look ahead, there remain critical insights to be gleaned from the history of urban mobility and the unsustainable practices that still impact our everyday lives. United by their pursuit of a “usable past,” the studies in this interdisciplinary collection consider the ecological, social, and economic aspects of urban mobility, showing how historical inquiry can make both conceptual and practical contributions to the projects of sustainability and urban renewal.

Written as a social history of urbanization and popular politics, this book reinserts “the public” and “the city” into current debates about citizenship, urban development, state regulation, and modernity in the turn of the century Mexico. Rooted in thousands of pages of written correspondence between city residents and local authorities, mostly with the city council of Morelia, the rhetoric and arguments of resident and city council dialogues often highlighted a person’s or group’s contributions to the public good, effectively positioning petitioners as deserving and contributing members of the urban public. Making an Urban Public tells the story of how Morelia’s residents—particular those from popular groups and poor circumstances—claimed (and often gained) basic rights to the city, including the right to both participate in and benefit from the city’s public spaces; its consumer and popular cultures; its modernized infrastructure and services; its rhetorical promises around good government and effective policing; its dense networks of community; and its countless opportunities for negotiating to forward one’s agenda, and its urban promise for a better life.

When The Urban Frontier was first published it roused attention because it held that settlers made a concerted effort to bring established institutions and ways to their new country. This differed markedly from the then-dominant Turnerian hypothesis that a culture's identity and behavior was determined by its history and experience in a particular social and physical environment. The Urban Frontier is still considered one of the most important books in urban history. This printing of the now-classic Wade volume features a new introduction by Zane L. Miller.

Detroit’s bankruptcy is the most severe example of the financial implications of the movement of wealth to the suburbs. When residents and businesses leave, central cities have a disproportionate share of most regions’ lower-income households. At the same time, many central cities collect less revenue as states cut financial support. So, we are left with the question: can central cities change patterns of economic activity? In Reversing Urban Decline: Why and How Sports, Entertainment, and Culture Turn Cities into Major League Winners, Second Edition author Mark Rosentraub details how central cities facing increasing levels of economic segregation can use new urban areas anchored by sports venues to enhance their financial position. See What’s New in the Second Edition: Increased focus on urban revitalization, urban theory, and urban planning Two additional case studies (Denver and Fort Wayne) to give the book a broader appeal and more material to make the book a good fit for urban planning, urban studies, and public policy classes New data based on additional research and follow up on several of the original cases Rosentraub anchors the book more closely in the center of the debate on urban revitalization, the financial issues facing central cities, and the ways in which public leaders can respond to the economic segregation developing between central cities and their suburban areas. That disparity is reducing the taxes that central cities receive, reducing their ability to provide the services residents need. Rather than just provide us with a brief escape from our problems, sports and entertainment, with the right leadership, can create opportunities for our cities to reinvent and reinvigorate themselves. Placing sports as one of the central elements to revitalize urban centers, this book uses several case studies to develop a set of rules to help cities plan for the effective use and returns from their investments in sports, entertainment, and cultural centers.

Seeing urban politics from the perspective of those who reside in slums offers an important dimension to the study of urbanism in the global South. Many people living in sub-standard conditions do not have their rights as urban citizens recognised and realise that they cannot rely on formal democratic channels or governance structures. Through in-depth case studies and comparative research, The Politics of Slums in the Global South: Urban Informality in Brazil, India, South Africa and Peru integrates conceptual discussions on urban political dynamics with empirical material from research undertaken in Rio de Janeiro, Delhi, Chennai, Cape Town, Durban and Lima. The chapters engage with the relevant literature and present empirical material on urban governance and cities in the South, housing policy for the urban poor, the politics of knowledge and social mobilisation. Recent theories on urban informality and subaltern urbanism are explored, and the issue of popular participation in public interventions is critically assessed. The book is aimed at a scholarly readership of postgraduate students and researchers in development studies, urban geography, political science, urban sociology and political geography. It is also of great value to urban decision-makers and practitioners.