Research Handbooks in Urban Studies series – serie

Compelling and engaging, this Handbook on Shrinking Cities addresses the fundamentals of shrinkage, exploring its causal factors, the ways in which planning strategies and policies are steered, and innovative solutions for revitalising shrinking cities. It analyses the multidimensional phenomena involved in processes of shrinkage, where cities experience a dramatic decline in their economic and social bases.Offering a timely response to the endurance of decline in cities across the globe, contributions from top scholars showcase a wide range of perspectives on the ongoing challenges of shrinkage. Chapters cover topics of ‘governance’, ‘greening’ and ‘right-sizing’, and ‘regrowth’, laying the relevant groundwork for the Handbook’s proposals for dealing with shrinkage in the age of COVID-19 and beyond. Leading experts in the fields of urban and regional development contribute novel ideas pertinent to the future of shrinking cities, considering factors such as economic prosperity, liveability, social stability, and innovation, ultimately representing a paradigmatic shift from growth-centred planning to the notion of ‘shrinking sustainably’.In suggesting strategies to reverse decline and generate newer, more robust development, this prescient Handbook will prove beneficial to scholars of human geography and urban planning. The wide range of case studies will also make this a vital read for planning practitioners.

Exploring the importance of megacities and megacity-regions as one of the defining features of the 21st century, this Handbook provides a clear and comprehensive overview of current thinking and debates from leading scholars in the field. Highlighting major current challenges and dimensions of megaurbanization, chapters form a thematic focus on governance, planning, history, and environmental and social issues, supported by case studies from every continent.Analysing vital questions for contemporary urban research, this Handbook looks at: what place megacities and megacity-regions occupy in a world of cities; how they interrogate current thinking about urban society, theory, and policy; and what role these largest of urban areas will play in shaping humanity's future. Key contributions reveal that research needs to further focus a critical and analytical lens on the particularities and distinctive issues associated with megaurbanization.A timely and essential read for urban studies, urban geography, and public policy students, the interdisciplinary nature of this Handbook provides a thorough view into the features and importance of megacities and megacity-regions. Public policy-makers and planners will also benefit from the wide-ranging case studies included.

In this timely Handbook, people emerge at the centre of city and regional development debates from the perspective of leadership. It explores individuals and communities, not only as units that underpin aggregate measures or elements within systems, but as deliberative actors with ambitions, desires, strategies and objectivesDeepening the scholarly debate on leadership in cities and regions, the Handbook combines theoretical discussion and empirical evidence within methodological development to present a state-of-the-art view of a rapidly emerging field of study, highlighting paths for future research. Chapters explore power, politics, policy-making, social corporate responsibility and international city diplomacy through the lens of leadership, covering leadership in different countries from a broad range of theoretical perspectives.This Handbook is a valuable resource for academics and students of regional studies, human and economic geography, and policy studies. The conceptual discussion and case studies from different parts of the world will provide valuable examples for scholars, policy-makers and practitioners seeking a better understanding of what it takes to mobilise and co-ordinate complex multi-actor constellations for improvement of their respective places.

This innovative Handbook provides an in-depth exploration of how digital platforms are reshaping cities worldwide. It presents a comprehensive analysis of data-driven urban life, evaluating how platforms including Uber, Airbnb and Google Maps mediate public services, economic activities and social interactions.Leading experts highlight the opportunities and challenges of urban platformisation, examining its economic, political and spatial implications through multidisciplinary insights. Chapters investigate key themes spanning governance, inequality, regulation and digital labour, drawing on a range of global case studies to critically assess how platform urbanism is redefining power structures and access to essential services. The Handbook showcases the influence of digital platforms on cities including Milan, Montréal and São Paulo, focussing on both Big Tech and community-driven alternatives. Ultimately, contributors use diverse methodologies to assess the socio-economic impact of these technologies in cities, analysing the dominance of major platforms alongside local initiatives.The Handbook of Platform Urbanism serves as a crucial reference for scholars and studies of urban studies, political economy, media studies and human and economic geography. Policymakers and practitioners in city governance and urban planning will also benefit from its valuable insights.

Written by some of the founders of complexity theory and complexity theories of cities (CTC), this Handbook expertly guides the reader through over forty years of intertwined developments: the emergence of general theories of complex self-organized systems and the consequent emergence of CTC.Examining studies from the end of 1970 through to the current leading approach to urbanism, planning and design, the book provides an up-to-date snapshot of CTC. Insightful chapters are split into five parts covering the early foundations of the topic, the evolution of towns and cities and urban complexity, the links between complexity, languages and cities, modelling traffic and parking in cities, and urban planning and design. The Handbook on Cities and Complexity concludes with the contributors’ personal statements on their observations of COVID-19’s impact upon global cities. This book will be an invaluable resource for those researching cities and complexity and also for scholars of urban studies, planning, physics, mathematics, AI, and architecture.

The importance of subnational welfare measures, and their complex embeddedness in wider multilevel governance systems, has often been underplayed in both urban studies and social policy analysis.This Handbook gives readers the analytical tools to understand urban social policies in context and bridges the gap in research. It provides a novel perspective of social policy analysis, answering the common debates such as: what is the role of local institutions in welfare provisions? Do they exert an influence beyond their jurisdiction? What difference can we trace among different types of locales (e.g. urban vs. rural)? How does the role of cities change in different national regulatory systems? Chapters disentangle the interplay between jurisdictions, politics, policy instruments and contexts in the spatial construction of social policies. Thanks to the impressive selection of contributors, the volume discusses urban social policies with broad geographical coverage including cases from Europe, North America, South America and Asia, and provides cursory references to the COVID-19 pandemic in different policy fields. This book will be of interest to a broad range of students in different fields from welfare to urban studies, as well as those interested in multilevel governance and policy analysis. Scholars interested in comparative social policy, but also in social innovation, public administration and political science, will also find this book a good companion.

Providing an overview of urban social movements from a diverse range of empirical and theoretical perspectives, this Handbook includes not only a critical analysis of the transformations that have occurred in the urban landscape recently, but also sheds light on the strategies implemented by social actors in various socio-political and cultural contexts. It focuses on better understanding how and to what extent collective action around urban issues remains relevant in our modern world.Top international scholars introduce the main features of urban movements from countries and cities around the world, including across Africa, Asia, Europe and North and South America, to highlight their diversity as well as the multiple scales through which they are employed. The Handbook first documents the concrete forms of contemporary urban movements, before highlighting new developments in the field, particularly in the face of new forms of communication, and finally examines the specificity of contemporary urban movements in the context of emerging unexpected local and global challenges.With a broad range of case studies and in-depth coverage of key issues, this Handbook is critical reading for urban studies and social movement studies scholars. The practical advice offered throughout also makes this an invigorating read for representatives of international institutions working on urban policies and development, as well as urban activists looking for a more in-depth study of the field.

This Handbook of Cities and Networks provides a cutting-edge overview of research on how economic, social and transportation networks affect processes both in and between cities. Exploring the ways in which cities connect and intertwine, it offers a varied set of collaborations, highlighting different theoretical, historical and methodological perspectives.  International contributions assess the state of the field of network analysis, presenting interdisciplinary insights that draw on theory from geography, economics, sociology, history, archaeology and psychology, and outlining methodological tools that include ethnographic, qualitative and quantitative approaches. Illustrating a framework for integrating the diversity of urban networks, the Handbook demonstrates that by exploring urban networks with different combinations of levels and scales, new insights and opportunities can emerge. Featuring focused studies on specific regions and cities, this state-of-the-art Handbook is essential reading for scholars and researchers of urban studies and regional science, particularly those focusing on the transformation of cities as connected spaces through intracity and intercity networks. Its core theoretical insights will also benefit graduate students in urban studies and network analysis.

The Handbook of Urban Segregation scrutinises key debates on spatial inequality in cities across the globe. It engages with multiple domains, including residential places, public spaces and the field of education. In addition, this comprehensive Handbook tackles crucial group-dimensions across race, class and culture as well as age groups, the urban rich, middle class, and gentrified households.In a 'world tour' of urban contexts, the reader is guided through six continents confronting pressing segregation issues. Leading international scholars offer valuable insights across regional, ethnic, socioeconomic and welfare regime contexts. Three thematic parts explore key segregation questions worldwide, the multiple domains and dimensions of the topic and the methods, approaches and debates surrounding its measurement. Through these lenses, this timely Handbook provides a key contribution to understanding what urban segregation is about, why it has developed, what its consequences are and how it is measured, conceptualised and framed.Containing clear use of visual aids alongside textual analysis, this Handbook will be an engaging and accessible resource for students and scholars with an interest in urban and human geography, cities and planning, and the wider field of urban studies.Contributors include: R. Andersson, R. Atkinson, N. Bailey, W.R. Boterman, A. Brama, A. Cardoso, R. Cucca, R. Forrest, D. França, F. Gou, H. Hanhörster, H.K. Ho, C. Hochstenbach, P.A. Jargowsky, J. Kohlbacher, Z. Kovács, C. Lemanski, Z. Li, A. Madanipour, T. Maloutas, E. Marques, S. Musterd, M. Oberti, J. Östh, A. Owens, E. Préteceille, B. Randolph, U. Reeger, K.S. Tong, U. Türk, W. van Gent, J. van Rooyen, A. Walks, W. Wang, S. Weck

The importance of subnational welfare measures, and their complex embeddedness in wider multilevel governance systems, has often been underplayed in both urban studies and social policy analysis.This Handbook gives readers the analytical tools to understand urban social policies in context and bridges the gap in research. It provides a novel perspective of social policy analysis, answering the common debates such as: what is the role of local institutions in welfare provisions? Do they exert an influence beyond their jurisdiction? What difference can we trace among different types of locales (e.g. urban vs. rural)? How does the role of cities change in different national regulatory systems? Chapters disentangle the interplay between jurisdictions, politics, policy instruments and contexts in the spatial construction of social policies. Thanks to the impressive selection of contributors, the volume discusses urban social policies with broad geographical coverage including cases from Europe, North America, South America and Asia, and provides cursory references to the COVID-19 pandemic in different policy fields. This book will be of interest to a broad range of students in different fields from welfare to urban studies, as well as those interested in multilevel governance and policy analysis. Scholars interested in comparative social policy, but also in social innovation, public administration and political science, will also find this book a good companion.

Exploring the importance of megacities and megacity-regions as one of the defining features of the 21st century, this Handbook provides a clear and comprehensive overview of current thinking and debates from leading scholars in the field. Highlighting major current challenges and dimensions of megaurbanization, chapters form a thematic focus on governance, planning, history, and environmental and social issues, supported by case studies from every continent.Analysing vital questions for contemporary urban research, this Handbook looks at: what place megacities and megacity-regions occupy in a world of cities; how they interrogate current thinking about urban society, theory, and policy; and what role these largest of urban areas will play in shaping humanity's future. Key contributions reveal that research needs to further focus a critical and analytical lens on the particularities and distinctive issues associated with megaurbanization.A timely and essential read for urban studies, urban geography, and public policy students, the interdisciplinary nature of this Handbook provides a thorough view into the features and importance of megacities and megacity-regions. Public policy-makers and planners will also benefit from the wide-ranging case studies included.

In this timely Handbook, people emerge at the centre of city and regional development debates from the perspective of leadership. It explores individuals and communities, not only as units that underpin aggregate measures or elements within systems, but as deliberative actors with ambitions, desires, strategies and objectivesDeepening the scholarly debate on leadership in cities and regions, the Handbook combines theoretical discussion and empirical evidence within methodological development to present a state-of-the-art view of a rapidly emerging field of study, highlighting paths for future research. Chapters explore power, politics, policy-making, social corporate responsibility and international city diplomacy through the lens of leadership, covering leadership in different countries from a broad range of theoretical perspectives.This Handbook is a valuable resource for academics and students of regional studies, human and economic geography, and policy studies. The conceptual discussion and case studies from different parts of the world will provide valuable examples for scholars, policy-makers and practitioners seeking a better understanding of what it takes to mobilise and co-ordinate complex multi-actor constellations for improvement of their respective places.

Written by some of the founders of complexity theory and complexity theories of cities (CTC), this Handbook expertly guides the reader through over forty years of intertwined developments: the emergence of general theories of complex self-organized systems and the consequent emergence of CTC.Examining studies from the end of 1970 through to the current leading approach to urbanism, planning and design, the book provides an up-to-date snapshot of CTC. Insightful chapters are split into five parts covering the early foundations of the topic, the evolution of towns and cities and urban complexity, the links between complexity, languages and cities, modelling traffic and parking in cities, and urban planning and design. The Handbook on Cities and Complexity concludes with the contributors’ personal statements on their observations of COVID-19’s impact upon global cities. This book will be an invaluable resource for those researching cities and complexity and also for scholars of urban studies, planning, physics, mathematics, AI, and architecture.

Contributing towards a thriving research area, this comprehensive Handbook presents a thorough discussion of infrastructure as a social phenomenon. It compiles diverse perspectives to delineate the current ‘infrastructural turn’ and assess policy and research challenges relating to contemporary forms of infrastructural development.Providing cutting-edge insights into the field, the Handbook explores the analytical category of infrastructure, clarifying and expanding upon the importance of an infrastructural perspective within academic and policy debates. An interdisciplinary range of contributors provides an ambitious examination of infrastructures and cities, with chapters covering the transformations of traditional networked infrastructure systems; novel understandings of how infrastructures matter; socio-technical processes of infrastructuring; forms of social violence involving infrastructural developments; and the role of infrastructures in human pressures on the biosphere. Ultimately, this Handbook proposes directions for further infrastructure research, highlighting its relevance in a shifting socio-political landscape.The Handbook of Infrastructures and Cities provides valuable insight for scholars of urban studies, urban sociology, human geography, planning and regional studies. It will also prove to be a vital reference point for academics and policy-makers seeking to progress social equality and challenge current structural obstacles to the advent of more sustainable infrastructures.

This authoritative Handbook provides a comprehensive overview of research into urban politics and policy in cities across the globe. Leading scholars examine the position of urban politics within political science and analyse the critical approaches and interdisciplinary pressures that are broadening the field.Beginning with the study of institutions and power, this Handbook surveys the development and theoretical underpinnings of key research areas in urban politics. It highlights the dynamism of the field drawing on diverse disciplines including sociology, geography and urban planning in addition to political science. Contributing authors cover often overlooked topics, such as feminist urban interventions, Indigenous cities, arts and culture, and age-friendly cities. Adopting a forward-thinking perspective, they explore the future of vital policy areas including housing, poverty, climate change and health, and identify important opportunities for further scholarly engagement and practical application.The Handbook of Urban Politics and Policy is an invaluable resource for students and scholars of urban and regional studies, public policy and cities. It is also an excellent guide for managers, activists and policy-makers seeking to understand urban problems and devise effective policy solutions.

The Handbook of Urban Segregation scrutinises key debates on spatial inequality in cities across the globe. It engages with multiple domains, including residential places, public spaces and the field of education. In addition, this comprehensive Handbook tackles crucial group-dimensions across race, class and culture as well as age groups, the urban rich, middle class, and gentrified households.In a 'world tour' of urban contexts, the reader is guided through six continents confronting pressing segregation issues. Leading international scholars offer valuable insights across regional, ethnic, socioeconomic and welfare regime contexts. Three thematic parts explore key segregation questions worldwide, the multiple domains and dimensions of the topic and the methods, approaches and debates surrounding its measurement. Through these lenses, this timely Handbook provides a key contribution to understanding what urban segregation is about, why it has developed, what its consequences are and how it is measured, conceptualised and framed.Containing clear use of visual aids alongside textual analysis, this Handbook will be an engaging and accessible resource for students and scholars with an interest in urban and human geography, cities and planning, and the wider field of urban studies.Contributors include: R. Andersson, R. Atkinson, N. Bailey, W.R. Boterman, A. Brama, A. Cardoso, R. Cucca, R. Forrest, D. França, F. Gou, H. Hanhörster, H.K. Ho, C. Hochstenbach, P.A. Jargowsky, J. Kohlbacher, Z. Kovács, C. Lemanski, Z. Li, A. Madanipour, T. Maloutas, E. Marques, S. Musterd, M. Oberti, J. Östh, A. Owens, E. Préteceille, B. Randolph, U. Reeger, K.S. Tong, U. Türk, W. van Gent, J. van Rooyen, A. Walks, W. Wang, S. Weck

This pioneering Handbook outlines the ways in which big data and artificial intelligence (AI) are reshaping cities. Leading scholars analyze how innovative computational methods can make use of the vast amounts of data available to gain new insights into urban life, inform policy, and drive innovation.Chapters delve into specific applications of big data and AI including mobility, tourism, and land use, drawing on case studies from diverse urban environments across Europe and North America. Expert authors evaluate future opportunities for leveraging these technologies, addressing the integration of machine learning into spatial econometric models, the use of self-organizing maps to study demographic shifts, and novel approaches to simulating contagion patterns during pandemics. Ultimately, the Handbook emphasizes the potential of AI to contribute to social good.Academics and students in human geography, regional and urban studies, economics, sociology, and management will benefit from this multidisciplinary and comprehensive Handbook. Combining theoretical insights with practical applications, it is also a valuable resource for policymakers and practitioners interested in the ongoing digital transformation of urban spaces.

Compelling and engaging, this Handbook on Shrinking Cities addresses the fundamentals of shrinkage, exploring its causal factors, the ways in which planning strategies and policies are steered, and innovative solutions for revitalising shrinking cities. It analyses the multidimensional phenomena involved in processes of shrinkage, where cities experience a dramatic decline in their economic and social bases.Offering a timely response to the endurance of decline in cities across the globe, contributions from top scholars showcase a wide range of perspectives on the ongoing challenges of shrinkage. Chapters cover topics of ‘governance’, ‘greening’ and ‘right-sizing’, and ‘regrowth’, laying the relevant groundwork for the Handbook’s proposals for dealing with shrinkage in the age of COVID-19 and beyond. Leading experts in the fields of urban and regional development contribute novel ideas pertinent to the future of shrinking cities, considering factors such as economic prosperity, liveability, social stability, and innovation, ultimately representing a paradigmatic shift from growth-centred planning to the notion of ‘shrinking sustainably’.In suggesting strategies to reverse decline and generate newer, more robust development, this prescient Handbook will prove beneficial to scholars of human geography and urban planning. The wide range of case studies will also make this a vital read for planning practitioners.