Democratic metropolitan governance: experiences in five German metropolitan regions

The paper seeks to describe whether reflections about the legitimacy metropolitan governance arrangements found consideration in metropolitan reforms in five German metropolitan regions. Metropolitan regions are an increasingly relevant scale for political decision-making but mechanism for legitimacy and accountability did not keep pace. Given the fact that in most metropolitan institutions only indirect mechanisms of legitimacy such as regional assemblies with representatives from municipal councils or public–private governing boards are at work, one may expect that output legitimacy or legitimacy by performance is the dominant source for legitimacy in metropolitan governance. In fact, citizens care much about the quality and the prize of services such as waste management or public transport but less about the transparency of decision-making procedures behind these services – at least on the scale of the region. The results show a mixed picture. In two out of five regions, directly elected regional assembly have been established and now constitute genuine tiers of metropolitan politics where input and output legitimacy are combined. In other regions, the turn to flexible forms of governance opened up decision-making arenas for societal actors, but it seems that this opening of the policy process is very selective and comes at the expense of citizen participation.     

Youthification across the metropolitan system: Intra-urban residential geographies of young adults in North American metropolitan areas

The youthification hypothesis posits that young adult geographies are highly centralized, particularly in metropolitan regions with gentrified, amenity-rich downtowns successful in the knowledge economy. While prior studies have empirically substantiated centralized young adult geographies, none have considered intra-urban variations and linked these empirically to metropolitan-specific characteristics. Focusing on young adults aged 25 to 34 across 57 metropolitan regions in the United States and Canada with populations over one million, this study investigates how the residential geographies of young adults vary within and between metropolitan regions. Young adult geographies are analyzed via generalized additive models with cubic spline smoothing. Economic, housing, urban form, and demographic characteristics are compared between regions with different types of young adult geographies. Results show youthification to be widespread; young adult clusters exist in the downtowns of 56 metropolitan regions, with 31 regions having one downtown-focused young adult cluster and 25 regions having a multi-cluster profile. Only one region had a scattered profile with no clusters. Regions with a single centrally-located young adult profile had greater employment in the quaternary sector, higher public transit mode shares, fewer single-detached homes, and lower employment in manufacturing than those with multiple clusters. The study contributes to understanding the ways in which the residential geographies of specific age groups are shaped by aggregate characteristics of cohorts and the existing urban structures.     

Rescaling metropolitan governance: examining discourses and conflicts in two Swiss metropolitan areas

Due to their nodal position in economic and social development, metropolitan areas give impetus to globalization. In turn, they are themselves transformed by this process. However, the question of how metropolitan areas transform by participating in the process of globalization is subject to debate. Based on case studies of two Swiss metropolitan areas (Berne and Zurich) and two policy domains (public transport and urban foreign policy), we argue that the rescaling process in metropolitan areas depends on the global competitiveness pressure the cities face and on the meaning that political actors give to these global pressures.     

The sources of metropolitan unemployment fluctuations in the Greater Taipei metropolitan area*

While past macroeconomic studies based on the natural rate hypothesis have tended to limit their discussions to cyclical unemployment, this paper applies shift‐share analysis to additionally consider both frictional and structural unemployment, which is composed of sectoral shifts and geographic mismatches. The results of the estimation confirm that the recent high unemployment in the Taipei metropolitan area mainly stems from both sectoral shifts and frictional unemployment. Therefore, how to smooth the industrial transformation and more flexible turnovers should be critical in reducing the pressure brought about by such unemployment today. Resumen Mientras que los estudios macroeconómicos previos basados en la hipótesis de la tasa natural han tendido a limitar sus discusiones al desempleo cíclico, este artículo aplica un análisis shift‐share para considerar adicionalmente tanto el desempleo friccional como el estructural, formado este por cambios sectoriales y desajustes geográficos. Los resultados de esta estimación confirman que el elevado desempleo sufrido recientemente en el área metropolitana de Taipei proviene principalmente tanto de cambios sectoriales como del desempleo friccional. Por ello, tanto la manera de suavizar la transformación industrial como una renovación del personal más flexible deberían ser críticos para reducir la presión provocada por el desempleo actual.      

Metropolitan fragmentation and neo-localism in the periphery: revisiting the case of Curitiba

In this paper, the Curitiba-centred narrative on the success of its urban planning experience will be qualified in light of the complexities of its metropolitan development trajectory. It will be claimed that the institutional vacuum that surrounds Brazilian metropolitan areas in general, and Greater Curitiba in particular, has been intensified by the emergence of a competitive and decentralised state spatial regime, which has consolidated a fragmented and neo-localist system of governance. Preliminary empirical evidence will be provided on the challenges that are being faced within the new regime in articulating socio-spatial, economic and environmental strategies in the direction of a more sustainable metropolitan future.     

Living in the periphery: provinciality and domestic space in colonial Bengal

This article focuses in detail on the domestic architecture of Indian town-dwellers within the context of provincial urbanisation in British colonial Bengal in the nineteenth century. It maps out the complex development of house-forms in provincial towns particularly in relation to rural-urban mobility and new social relationships brought about by the establishment of colonial governmental infrastructure in interior areas of the Bengal Province. Positing these domestic forms to be as important as the much-studied ‘bungalow’ in terms of typological complexity as well as the range of social, political and economic processes that they represented, the article foregrounds them as being significant spatial models of colonial urban domesticity and modernity. It analyses the development of residential architecture in the light of the varied perceptions of provincial towns held by different constituencies among the urban population—such as European officers or Bengali rural immigrants—from a range of socio-economic classes. It argues that urban-rural mobility and the nature of changing but continuing connections between rural and urban locations created an incrementally growing provincial urban domestic architecture characterised by malleable notions of work, home and leisure spaces. This produced a typological flexibility and specific articulations of public and private domains within residential premises.

The chief purpose of the paper is threefold: first, to make a case for Indian agency in the co-production of colonial architecture and urbanism; second, to argue the role of provincial spatial cultures and house forms as key bearers of colonial modernity; third, to explore colonial architectural history through on-ground mapping of everyday domestic spaces of individual families and varied social groups.     

Containing the growth of Moscow: Comparisons with London

The relative dominance of large cities in the USSR is striking given the traditional Soviet ideological bias against such cities. This bias has been translated into policies designed to divert growth away from major urban centres to satellite cities in the metropolitan region, a strategy quite similar to UK urban and regional economic plans. This article examines urban growth in the Moscow metropolitan region to determine the extent to which satellite city policies have helped regulate the growth of Moscow itself. Throughout the analysis the Moscow experience is compared to and contrasted with the UK regional development experience around London.     

Gender in metropolitan development strategies: the case of Durban.

The author describes her experiences with the Durban Development Forum (DDF) and the strategies used in the Durban Functional Region (DFR) of South Africa. Policies are generally concerned with low income people, spatial distribution, and the organization of development and only partially concerned with gender issues. This paper discusses general urban development strategies in South Africa, gives an overview of the position of women in the DFR, and the strategies of the DDF. Prior to 1994 urban development plans focused on righting the inequalities and inefficiencies of apartheid cities, promotion of local economic development, and development implementation that was highly political and excluded major inputs from Black people. The DDF was formed in 1993 and aimed to be inclusive of all population groups in development planning. A set of principles were developed to guide development based on consensus decision making. Women's groups were included from the beginning, but little research was and is available on specific conditions and needs of different groups of women. Durban experienced since the 1980s a rise in the number of women in the labor force, a rise in female migrants to the DFR, and movement into "more insecure, poorly serviced newer settlements." Under apartheid, low income housing for Blacks was situated on peripheral areas or more distant locations that were away from employment in commerce and service industries in the central city. Women in urban slums survived with few sanitation amenities and limited access to an adequate water supply or electricity. Most development policy in the DFR ignored gender differences and gender power relations and focused on improving land, housing, and amenities for the poor in the central city. Although the general approach to improve infrastructure and facilities and to remove obstacles to development may have benefits for low income women, there are in fact mixed benefits for women.     

Land readjustment and metropolitan growth: an examination of suburban land development and urban sprawl in the Tokyo metropolitan area

Land Readjustment (LR) is a land development technique used in many countries around the world including Germany, Sweden, Japan, Taiwan and Korea. In essence it is a method whereby an irregular pattern of agricultural land holdings is re-arranged into regular building plots and equipped with basic urban infrastructure such as roads and drains. A percentage of each landowner’s holding is contributed to provide land for roads and parks, and for some plots to sell to pay the costs of the project. Its use has been particularly widespread in Japan where it is responsible for some 30% of the existing urban area, and is commonly referred to as ‘The Mother of City Planning’ (Toshi Keikaku no Haha). LR has for 20 years also been the focus of an international effort to introduce the technique to the developing countries of South East Asia. Although there is now a large literature on Japanese LR as a result of that project, however, virtually all of that literature focusses on practical aspects of how to implement projects, and on case studies of individual projects. Little attention has been paid to the role of LR in Japanese urban growth and urban planning at a city or regional scale, although such an examination is necessary to understanding LR in Japan, and Japanese urbanisation and urban planning more generally. The present research examines the role of LR in shaping patterns of urban development in the rapidly growing northern suburbs of Tokyo in Saitama prefecture. In particular, the claim commonly made by Japanese writers that LR prevents urban sprawl is examined. Sprawl and its prevention have long been a preoccupation of both Western and Japanese urban planners for aesthetic and efficiency reasons. However, it has recently gained importance as the critical interconnections between urban form and urban travel patterns, and greenhouse gas emissions and global warming have become more widely recognised. The case studies examine the role of LR in land development and urban growth at the regional scale (Saitama prefecture) and at the local scale (Urawa, Omiya and Ageo cities). GIS mapping and analysis of the case study areas, and interviews with planners and participants are used to examine the role and impacts of LR projects in suburban land development in Japan. The research suggests that while there are various impacts of LR projects because they are so widely used, in a range of different contexts, it is fair to say that LR projects contribute to increased sprawl at the regional scale, while largely failing to prevent it at the local scale.     

从浙江萧山、余杭、海宁等地农村居民点发展状况谈大城市周边村民点规划模式

目前海宁地区正在进行新一轮的乡镇土地利用规划修编和农村村民点布点规划。其方法基本套用过去的传统模式,即通过减少村民点数目和扩大村民点规模来实现预定目标(土地集约化利用,提高城市化水平)。此种模式成为不可置疑的标准模式而广泛应用,实际上说是普遍使用。这种模式的优点无可否认,但笔者认为任何方式或方法都不可能包医百病,普遍适用,都会有其缺陷和不适应的     

The Egalitarian city: The restructuring of Amsterdam

Since the mid‐1970s, urban policy makers have responded to the pressures of fiscal crisis and unemployment by reducing expenditures and subsidizing business for the purpose of stimulating economic growth. The behaviour of urban governments largely corresponded with the argument of Paul Peterson that cities were forced to pursue economic growth at the expense of redistribution. Nevertheless, the response to economic forces, while generally in a market‐oriented direction, was not uniform within western cities. In particular, the Amsterdam municipality remains notable for its egalitarian policies when compared with London or New York. Housing policy has been a major instrument in maintaining the quality of life for the city's lower‐income population. Because subsidized housing units, as well as recipients of individual housing benefits, are scattered throughout the city, housing policy has sharply restricted spatial inequality of households by income. Moreover, the very large public subsidy involved in housing construction, by keeping rent levels low and thereby raising disposable income, has contributed substantially to popular welfare, mitigating class differentiation and thereby weakening resistance to residential integration of different income groups. This paper examines policies for physical and economic development in Amsterdam and their effect on social and spatial inequality. The conclusion briefly compares Amsterdam's trajectory with that of London and New York, then finally attempts to explain the continuing differences.     

The new Bucharest: Two decades of restructuring

The Romanian capital became well-known under communism for major construction and redevelopment projects. Bucharest’s post-communist reconstruction has seen a major sectoral change from industry to commerce, backed by numerous building projects for housing, shops, offices and hotels. The urban landscape has changed in many parts of the downtown and outer suburban areas, especially with the intrusion of tall buildings into areas of pre-communist development. The approach has been quite permissive towards private enterprise, absent a clear vision of a 21st century city. Although development has not been excessively chaotic, there is a clear case for more effective regulation as well as greater attention to infrastructure in privately-managed utilities and in the public transport system.     

Studies of metropolitan development: An overview

This short paper highlights certain findings from some recent studies concerning metropolitan development in the industrialized world. Two particular aspects are stressed: (1) a shift in thinking from city systems conceived as subnational hierarchies of centres to city systems conceived as elemental nodes in various international networks facilitating logistical processes of exchange, and (2) the need to enhance our primitive understanding of interacting metropolitan change processes which are operating at significantly different speeds. These two issues are briefly addressed amidst some introductory remarks about the six related papers which follow in this special issue.     

《都市档案》里存放着什么?

继五年前出版《都市村庄》一书之后今年七月旅美建筑师傅刚，费菁伉俪又推出他们俩的新著《都市档案》。     

Urban development in the global periphery: The consequences of economic and ideological globalization

Globalization has two elements: economic globalization refers to the integration of global markets, while ideological globalization refers to the political ideas that underlie the spread of markets, trade, and democracy. Economic globalization is limited in its reach in the developing world: some cities have done well; some, despite not being globalized, have regional importance; and large regions and numerous cities have been bypassed. Ideological globalization, on the other hand, is far more widespread from an intellectual and a policy perspective. The tenets of ideological globalization are likely to work further to the relative detriment of the cities/regions in the global periphery. This is a cumulative causation argument that raises questions about the development prospects of peripheral regions.     

Clandestine urbanization: reconstituting urban space in the margins of the Phoenix metropolitan area

This paper illustrates everyday practices of a marginalized population in areas of interrupted urbanization. These practices arise from the coincidence of an urban form produced and reproduced according to a Fordist logic of mass production for mass consumption and a Post-Fordist society with diverse needs. The paper focuses on practices that, while reconstituting needed urban elements, remain nevertheless unsanctioned because of a rigid imaginary of how urban space ought to be lived. These practices exemplify how residents respond to existing material and institutional restrictions by adopting hidden and clandestine forms of urbanization that allow them to reconstitute their urban space. The Phoenix metropolitan region is used to illustrate these responses. The paper concludes with a call for a form of urban planning that is more adaptive and responsive to residents’ needs, aspirations, and desires.