Wiley-Blackwell Making Competitive Cities

The book investigates the impact on the competitiveness of cities developing creative industries (arts, media, entertainment, creative business services, architects, publishers, designers) and knowledge-intensive industries (ICT, R&D, finance, law). It provides significant new knowledge to the theoretical and practical understanding of the conditions necessary to stimulate "creative knowledge" cities. The editors compare the socio-economic developments, experiences and strategies in 13 urban regions across Europe: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Birmingham, Budapest, Dublin, Helsinki, Leipzig, Milan, Munich, Poznan, Riga, Sofia and Toulouse. These have different histories and roles; include capital and non-capital cities of different sizes; represent cities with different economic structures; and different cultural, political and welfare state traditions.Through this wide set of examples, Making Competitive Cities informs the debate about creative and knowledge-intensive industries, economic development, and competitiveness policies. It focuses on which metropolitan regions have a better chance to develop as "creative knowledge regions" and which do not, as well as investigating why this is so and what can policy do to influence change.Chapter authors from thirteen European institutions rigorously evaluate, reformulate and empirically test assumptions about cities and their potential for attracting creative and knowledge-intensive industries. As well as a systematic empirical comparison of developments related to these industries, the book examines the pathways that cities have followed and surveys both the negative and positive impacts of different prevailing conditions.Special Features:Analyses link between knowledge-intensive sectors and urban competitivenessOffers evidence from 13 European urban regions drawn from a major research projectEstablishes a new benchmark for academic and policy debates in a fast-moving field Review "Making Competitive Cities is therefore a stimulating read, persuasive and provocative in its lines of argument, and presenting an important challenge to urban political praxis the world over." (Journal of Economic Geography, 19 August 2011) "The strength of Making Competitive Cities is its highly structured, data-driven research on thirteen diverse and widely scattered cities, which facilitates comparative study and the construction of useful generalizations. The informative individual chapters follow parallel structures and are all well prepared." (Association of American Geographers, 14 March 2011)"This collection of essays utilizes comparative case studies to illustrate the challenges cities face from a shifting global economy and the very different ways cities can change. The essays offer insights into the theoretical and practical understanding of the environments required to develop competitive "creative knowledge" cities, cities that are successful, exciting, and enjoyable places to live." (Book News Inc, November 2010)  From the Inside Flap ‘You have heard the hype about creative cities and footloose knowledge workers …  [this book] reveals what is happening on the ground, in cities and regions across Europe.  Drawing on a collaborative research program, this welcome contribution establishes a new benchmark for academic and policy debates in this fast-moving field.’Jamie Peck, Canada Research Chair in Urban & Regional Political Economy, University of British Columbia‘… In its excellent blend of empirical investigation and theoretical argument, MakingCompetitive Cities reveals the challenges presented to cities by the changing global economy and the disparate ways in which cities are transformed.’From the foreword by Susan S. Fainstein, Harvard UniversityDeveloping creative industries (arts, media, entertainment, architecture, publishing) and knowledge-intensive industries (ICT, R&D, finance, law) can give a city the competitive edge. This book offers signifi