Post-Growth Planning


Book Description

This book draws on a wide range of conceptual and empirical materials to identify and examine planning and policy approaches that move beyond the imperative of perpetual economic growth. It sketches out a path towards planning theories and practices that can break the cyclical process of urban expansion, crises, and recovery that negatively affect ecosystems and human lives. To reduce the dramatic social and environmental impact of urbanization, this book offers both a critique of growth-led urban development and a prefiguration of ecologically regenerative and socially just ways of organizing cities and regions. It uncovers emerging possibilities for post-growth planning in the fields of collective housing, mobility, urban commoning, ecological land-use, urban–rural symbiosis, and alternative planning worldviews. It provides a toolkit of concepts and real-life examples for urban scholars, urbanists, activists, architects, and designers seeking to make cities prosper within planetary boundaries. This book speaks to both experts and beginners in post-growth thinking. It concludes with a manifesto and glossary of key terms for urban scholars, students, and practitioners.




Market Economy and Urban Change


Book Description

Across the developing world the preceding decade or so has witnessed a profound reconfiguration of the political economy of urban policy. This new policy environment is driven by globalization, the neo-liberal macro-economic package of 'market enablement' and structural adjustment, which now form the dominant development paradigm. The consequences of this approach for urban development agendas and ultimately the lives and livelihoods of millions of people across the globe are profound. Market Economy and Urban Change explores and evaluates urban sector and development policies in the context of market enablement, and the associated instruments of structural adjustment, urban management reform and 'good' governance. By articulating the linkages between this neo-liberal development paradigm and the way different actors in the urban sector enact policy responses, the book provides an understanding of both the factors driving market enablement, and its impacts on urban sector policies and programmes.With case studies drawn from countries such as Egypt, Mexico, Kenya, Brazil, Colombia and transitional economies, the book focuses in particular on the implications for land, shelter and related sectoral policies for poverty alleviation. By linking policy to practice, the book seeks to inform policy-makers in governments, donor and implementing agencies of the impact of shifts in the development debate on urban sector strategies.




The Rise and Fall of Urban Economies


Book Description

Today, the Bay Area is home to the most successful knowledge economy in America, while Los Angeles has fallen progressively further behind its neighbor to the north and a number of other American metropolises. Yet, in 1970, experts would have predicted that L.A. would outpace San Francisco in population, income, economic power, and influence. The usual factors used to explain urban growth—luck, immigration, local economic policies, and the pool of skilled labor—do not account for the contrast between the two cities and their fates. So what does? The Rise and Fall of Urban Economies challenges many of the conventional notions about economic development and sheds new light on its workings. The authors argue that it is essential to understand the interactions of three major components—economic specialization, human capital formation, and institutional factors—to determine how well a regional economy will cope with new opportunities and challenges. Drawing on economics, sociology, political science, and geography, they argue that the economic development of metropolitan regions hinges on previously underexplored capacities for organizational change in firms, networks of people, and networks of leaders. By studying San Francisco and Los Angeles in unprecedented levels of depth, this book extracts lessons for the field of economic development studies and urban regions around the world.




Urban Tourism and Urban Change


Book Description

Urban Tourism and Urban Change: Cities in a Global Economy provides both a sociological / cultural analysis of change that has taken place in many of the world's cities. This focused treatment of urban tourism examines the implications of these changes for urban management and planning sense, for success and failure in metropolitan change. Uniquely suited for teaching purposes, Costas Spirou integrates numerous case studies of cities to illuminate the significant impact and promise of tourism on urban image and economic development.




Spatial Planning and Urban Development in the New EU Member States


Book Description

Accession to the EU in May 2004 was a historic milestone for the spatial and urban development of the new member states. Meanwhile, the social and economic transition during the pre-accession phase already brought about radical changes in national urban systems and new challenges for regional development. In this edited volume, a carefully selected and specially commissioned set of articles, written by experts from both the new and the old EU member states, presents a comprehensive assessment of emerging political and planning solutions at local, regional, national and EU levels. Topics include brownfield redevelopment in the Czech Republic, urban sprawl in Hungary, the upgrading and integration of marginalized Roma settlements in Eastern Slovakia and sustainable coastal management in Cyprus.




Housing Markets and the Economy


Book Description

Based on the work of Karl "Chip" Case, who is renowned for his scientific contributions to the economics of housing and public policy, this is a must read during a time of restructuring our nation's system of housing finance.




Urban Development in Post-Reform China


Book Description

This innovative book provides the first integrated treatment of China’s market development, state regulation and the resulting transformation and creation of new urban spaces.




China's Urban Development


Book Description

Since 2002 the United Nations Development Programme has been running 'City Planning, Management and Development in the 21st Century' across China, a project that focuses on five pilot cities (Guizhou, Taiyuan, Liuzhou, Meishan and Sanmenxia) to help analysis urban development trends and problems across Chinas as it undertakes rapid urbanisation. This detailed and authoritative report outlines the key findings from this research project which was led by Shao Yisheng, Vice President and Professor from China Academy of Urban Planning & Design. Whilst fully acknowledging the great achievements and spectacular levels of development, the purpose of this report is to outline the faults and contradictions that have proved central to China's accelerated urbanisation. These have been gathered into seven subject sections within the report: natural resources; living environment; image projects (prestige or 'showy' construction projects); public safety; social stratification; public finance; public policies. An in-depth analysis of these problem areas and their origins is supplied by the leading members of the research team. In addition, the authors propose solutions to each problem utilising innovative concepts, systems, policies, planning systems and management techniques. China's Urban Development: Critiques and Observations offers truly unique and distinctive views on China's urban changes, both positive and negative. It will prove extremely interesting to professionals, academics and students involved in urban development and planning outside of China, plus experts engaged in the urban economy, engineering, construction, urban sociology and political science. The key editors and contributors are Shao Yisheng, Vice President and Professor from China Academy of Urban Planning & Design, plus Shi Nan, Secretary General and Professor from Urban Planning Society of China. Additional contributors include senior academics from the Department for Industry, Transportation & Trade, Research Office of the State Council, and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.




Current Theories and Practice in the Political Economy of Communications and Media


Book Description

"This book examines the influence of big companies in political institutions, the newsroom, and the classroom and its effect on every aspect of public and private life"--




Global Changes and Sustainable Development in Asian Emerging Market Economies Vol. 2


Book Description

This two-volume set presents the conference papers from the 1st International Conference on Economics, Development and Sustainability (EDESUS 2019), organized by the University of Economics and Business, Vietnam National University, Hanoi. The collection addresses global changes and sustainable development in Vietnam and other emerging market economies in Asia, and covers wider topics such as economics and business (e.g. economic theory, national and international income distribution, macroeconomic policies, sectors of economy, productivity developments, financial market, business governance, bank financing), development and sustainability (e.g. developing process, development policy, public policy, sustainable growth, sustainability tools, sustainable livelihood, sustainable tourism, green growth), and resources and global change (e.g. human resources, natural resources, climate change, globalization, global challenges). The books are of interest to professors, researchers, lecturers, and students in economics and geography, consultants, and decision makers interested in global changes and sustainable development. Volume 2 focuses on global changes and sustainable development in Vietnam and other emerging market economies in Asia. This covers topics such as sustainability (e.g. sustainable growth, sustainability tools, sustainable livelihood, sustainable tourism), and change in resources globally (e.g. human resources, natural resources, climate change, globalization, global challenges).