Routledge Governing Megacities in Emerging Countries - Book

Megacities represent a unique phenomenon in human history. As these massive urban centers continue to grow within emerging countries, the challenges of managing such vast and complex spaces become more intense. This book explores whether these entities, which often face significant inequality and social divisions, can be managed effectively. While many researchers suggest that governing these spaces is nearly impossible, this work offers a different perspective. By focusing on the material city and its established institutions, the text demonstrates how urban leaders manage these environments. Instead of relying on large, unproven theories, leaders utilize mechanisms of ordinary government. They address the needs of the city by focusing on the resolution of practical and essential problems. This study provides a grounded look at how urban governance works in practice within the world's most rapidly growing metropolitan areas.