The recent COVID-19 pandemic has arguably caused some of the most noticeable and influential societal and economic changes since World War Two. This path-breaking book investigates these changes and the subsequent responses of urban policy makers. Chapters offer keen insights into the methods differing urban regions have utilized to cope with their changing economic circumstances. With a global scope, the book focuses on the various significant impacts of the pandemic including effects on the employment of women and minorities, central city vitality, and the futures of small or isolated regions. Ultimately, it examines how policy makers are dealing with the prospective decline of social categories and of the vitality of their cities. Students and academics of such disciplines as urban policy, economic geography and public policy will find the conclusions offered by this book to be imperative for the development of current research agendas. It will additionally be beneficial for policy makers working in urban and regional government bodies.

This original book examines the experiences cities and urban areas have had with two principal concerns that confront them today: sustainability and competitiveness. Focusing on major cities in East Asia, North America, and Western Europe, Towards a Competitive, Sustainable Modern City illuminates the ways in which cities differ not only in their course and stages of development, but in the nature of their economies and their administrative structures. Featuring a wide-ranging set of contributions from top researchers, this book discusses and analyzes the issues that different cities face, such as social cohesion, tolerance and cultural diversity, and how this will determine their developmental trajectories through the coming decade. These issues are explored in relation to contemporary topics including the growing economy of robotics, the rising importance and use of artificial intelligence and the information and communications economy. Towards a Competitive, Sustainable Modern City will be an invaluable read for scholars and professors in urban economics and urban studies more broadly, particularly those who are focusing on the importance of sustainability in both areas. Its stimulating, yet accessible, approach to the topic and key case studies will also greatly benefit urban planners and economic policy makers looking to improve contemporary cities.

US society today is widely seen as being split into constituencies which have sequestered themselves in two or more silos, with policy discussion between them having become impossible. The treatise of this book is that denizens of the United States need not be confined in silos but, rather, that major economic policies - drugs, alcohol, and suicide; schooling; major economic issues; infrastructure, urban and regional policy; and the environment - have powerful impacts on many members of each of these silos. From this recognition comes an understanding that public policy initiatives that treat each of the policy areas with equity are conceivable and can in fact be implemented. In addition, individuals will be able to engage in the destruction of disrespectful silo-to-silo bickering and work to create a dialogue based on mutual understanding that has been sorely missing for the past several years. The author stresses that are few things that are of more importance for society's collective future than bridging these barriers. This passionate analysis of Public Policy in Contentious Times will be of great interest to academics interested in urban and regional issues and in the formation of public policy. It will also be helpful to political consultants and politicians, and individuals who are ardently interested in contemporary politics.

This unique and insightful work examines the importance of 'quality of life' for the city which has become a key component of urban competitiveness over the past 30 years. It argues that having a high or low 'quality of life' will have important consequences for the vitality and status of any city. Throughout the book, emphasis is placed upon the skilled, highly mobile and generally younger labour force who choose the city in which they want to work and live based on the 'quality of life' elements offered to them. Consequently, there is mounting pressure on today's cities and the firms in their economies to create environments that are attractive to the new-age of the workforce and the key resource in the economy. The book's eight substantive chapters explore this issue by each examining a distinct element that comprises 'quality of life', including the approach of economists to quality of life, links to urban competitiveness, the economy, urban amenities and attributes. Providing an original perspective on contemporary cities and their economies, The City and Quality of Life will be essential reading for city and company leaders who implement policy and wish to further understand the attributes of 'quality of life' for their citizens. It will also be useful for researchers, university professors and students in disciplines such as economics and finance, geography and urban studies.

For the past 150 years, architecture has been a significant tool in the hands of city planners and leaders. In Creating Cities/Building Cities, Peter Karl Kresl and Daniele Ietri illustrate how these planners and leaders have utilized architecture to achieve a variety of aims, influencing the situation, perception and competitiveness of their cities. Whether the objective is branding, re-vitalization of the economy, beautification, development of an economic and business center, status development, or seeking distinction with the tallest building, distinctive architecture has been an essential instrument for those who manage the course of a city's development. Since the 1870s, and the reconstruction of Chicago following the Great Fire, architecture has been affected powerfully by advances in design, technology and materials used in construction. The authors identify several key elements in such a strategic initiative, and in the penultimate chapter examine several cases of cities that have ignored one or more of these elements and have failed in their attempt. A unique set of insights into this fascinating topic, this study will appeal to specialists in urban planning, economic geography, and architecture. Readers interested in urban development will also find its coverage accessible and enlightening.