Governing Cities in a Global Era: Urban Innovation, Competition, and Democratic Reform

Written in a lively and accessible style by leading scholars from eleven countries this is the first global book to provide a thorough examination of the urban challenges now facing city leaders and managers in all continents.  The text is organized into three parts: the global pressures now impacting urban governance; the innovations currently taking place in urban government; and the heartland themes of leadership, partnership and the democratic challenge.  The analysis suggests that global forces pose a grave threat to civilized living - the pursuit of narrow self-interest could drive all cities into a spiral of decline resulting in consumers living isolated lives in separate fortified enclaves.  All the authors in this volume reject this vision of our urban future.  Instead, by analyzing place-specific experiences and offering new insights on the dynamics of urban change, they propose imaginative routes for reform.  This book argues for strategies that can lead to prosperous multi-cultural cities across the world - cities that enhance the quality of life for all citizens.