Governing Cities

In our urban world, cities are where most of us experience how our economies and societies are organised and the inequalities which result.
This textbook introduces ideas, theories, concepts and examples to help us understand the political and policy challenges of governing cities, centred on the principal challenge of how to make our cities more equitable. It poses critical questions about how cities are governed, by whom, according to what values, and for whom and draws from a wide range of urban scholarship. The 'how' covers urban politics and the policy instruments which result. The 'by whom' addresses power relations within and beyond the city and the tensions between different priorities and values. The 'for whom' centres equity and the role of citizens and collective action in how we are governed.
In addressing these questions, the book provides an overview of the core theories of urban politics and governance, thinks about what happens at different scales, and examines new forms of citizen activism which herald alternatives for cities. It is a unique introduction to students, policymakers and practitioners who want to understand and seek to improve urban politics and policy.

Critically discusses aspects of city governance across the UK, Europe, North America and Australia Integrates insights from a wide range of disciplines, including public policy, politics, sociology and geography Addresses one of the most dynamic policy areas of our time

Autorentext

Madeleine Pill is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at the University of Sheffield, UK. Her research and teaching, conducted in the UK, US and Australia, focus on equitable change in the state-society relationships of urban governance.

Inhalt
Chapter One: Questions about cities.- Chapter Two: What is a city and why do they matter?.- Chapter Three: How and by whom are cities governed?.- Chapter Four: What policies and strategies arise?.- Chapter Five: What happens at different scales?.- Chapter Six: What are citizens doing?.- Chapter Seven: Futures for governing cities.