Routledge Urban Transformations: Centres, Peripheries and Systems

Definitions of urban entities and urban typologies are changing constantly to reflect the growing physical extent of cities and their hinterlands. These include suburbs, sprawl, edge cities, gated communities, conurbations and networks of places and such transformations cause conflict between central and peripheral areas at a range of spatial scales. This book explores the role of cities, their influence and the transformations they have undertaken in the recent past. Ways in which cities regenerate, how plans change, how they are governed and how they react to the economic realities of the day are all explored. Concepts such as polycentricity are explored to highlight the fact that cities are part of wider regions and the study of urban geography in the future needs to be cognisant of changing relationships within and between cities. Bringing together studies from around the world at different scales, from small town to megacity, this volume captures a snapshot of some of the changes in city centres, suburbs, and the wider urban region. In doing so, it provides a deeper understanding of the evolving form and function of cities and their associated peripheral regions as well as their impact on modern twenty-first century landscapes. Review ’A remarkable collection of essays on urban transformations with a truly global reach. This edited volume deserves to be widely read.’ Martin Sokol, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland ’The increasing integration of cities into the globalisation process sees new issues constantly emerging. The regeneration and increased participation of urban peripheries creates new centralities and renews the dynamics of the global city system. This book offers a diverse range of place specific studies from around the world that will enlighten scholars and citizens about the resilient capacities and transformative possibilities of cities.’ Céline Rozenblat, University of Lausanne, Switzerland, Chair of the Urban Commission of the International Geographical Union ’By enrolling members of the IGU Urban Commission in a collective exercise of both authorship and review, Urban Transformations: Centres, Peripheries and Systems provides a rare approach to an edited collection of papers addressing the complexity of recent transformations in urbanisation. With each chapter having been subjected to rigorous internal review by some of the leading names in the field of urban geography, this collection of case studies provides a unique insight into the work of one of the foremost authorities on urban processes and outcomes at the start of the 21st century.’ Petros Petsimeris, University of Paris, Sorbonne, France About the Author Daniel P. O'Donoghue is at Canterbury Christ Church University, UK.