Spatial deconcentration of economic activities, particularly the growth of suburban office, retail and entertainment concentrations, has become a prime concern in European metropolitan areas. This book provides a cross-national comparative perspective on employment deconcentration within selected metropolitan areas in Europe. Whereas most debate over urban sprawl and deconcentration is oriented towards the North American context, this book aims at a better understanding of this phenomenon in the European context, emphasizing the location of economic activities rather than residential patterns. It provides insights on whether different governance attributes produce particular forms of deconcentration versus the influence of market attributes and local specificities, also commenting on quality of life impacts and possible governance and policy implications of the deconcentration process.

Introduction of a comparative framework is followed by eight case study chapters, three representing northern Europe, three the south European-Mediterranean region and two post-communist central Europe. Most chapters examine two metropolitan areas, usually a large and a smaller one. The comparison reveals considerable variations in the magnitude, form, and process of employment deconcentration, only partly in line with expected influences of governance systems. Evidence does not fully confirm an anticipated distinction between Northern and Mediterranean Europe; the Czech Republic and Israel seem to diverge most from prevailing European trends.

This book undertakes the first systematic, multi-country investigation into how regimes of place equality, consisting of multilevel policies, institutions and governance at multiple scales, influence spatial inequality in metropolitan regions. Extended, diversified metropolitan regions have become the dominant form of human settlement, and disparities among metropolitan places figure increasingly in wider trends toward growing inequality. Regimes of place equality are increasingly critical components of welfare states and territorial administration. They can aggravate disparities in services and taxes, or mitigate and compensate for local differences. The volume examines these regimes in a global sample of eleven democracies, including developed and developing countries on five continents. The analyses reveal new dimensions of efforts to grapple with growing inequality around the world, and a variety of institutional blueprints to address one of the most daunting challenges of twenty-first century governance.

Israel's industrial geography is unique. The continuing Arab-Israeli conflict has been a primary force behind government intervention in settlement patterns, and has led to a major effort to disperse industry. The geo-political situation has also encouraged a policy of attempted self-reliance, especially for defence purposes. These factors, combined with an abundant human capital, have given Israeli high-technology industries a special place in the international division of labour. The absorption of waves of mass immigration has influenced industrial development. Rural industrialization, mainly by the kibbutz (communal settlement) movement, is another unique feature. "The Industrial Geography of Israel" attempts to present a comprehensive overview of industrial spatial development of Israel from the Ottoman era to present times, evaluating industrial dispersal policy, corporate geography, high-technology industries, entrepreneurship and rural industrial development. The spatial development of Israeli industry is set within the broader context of Israel's political and economic development and of global economic change.

Spatial deconcentration of economic activities, particularly the growth of suburban office, retail and entertainment concentrations, has become a prime concern in European metropolitan areas. This book provides a cross-national comparative perspective on employment deconcentration within selected metropolitan areas in Europe. Whereas most debate over urban sprawl and deconcentration is oriented towards the North American context, this book aims at a better understanding of this phenomenon in the European context, emphasizing the location of economic activities rather than residential patterns. It provides insights on whether different governance attributes produce particular forms of deconcentration versus the influence of market attributes and local specificities, also commenting on quality of life impacts and possible governance and policy implications of the deconcentration process.

Introduction of a comparative framework is followed by eight case study chapters, three representing northern Europe, three the south European-Mediterranean region and two post-communist central Europe. Most chapters examine two metropolitan areas, usually a large and a smaller one. The comparison reveals considerable variations in the magnitude, form, and process of employment deconcentration, only partly in line with expected influences of governance systems. Evidence does not fully confirm an anticipated distinction between Northern and Mediterranean Europe; the Czech Republic and Israel seem to diverge most from prevailing European trends.