Urban competitiveness

Following publication of the government's White Paper on cities (2000), the question of what makes some cities more successful than others has become an increasingly important policy issue. This title tackles this question from differing perspectives. Although previous work has explored particular facets of competitiveness, this volume does so in a systematic way that combines theory, evidence and policy implications. Bringing together leading experts on urban economic performance, it provides a new look at the issue of urban competitiveness and offers new insights into the factors that shape competitiveness. The research findings are based mainly on the extensive Economic and Social Research Council funded "Cities: competitiveness and cohesion" research programme. Drawing on these findings, the book: looks at the concept of competitiveness in an urban context and develops new approaches to analysing what makes cities perform well or badly; presents new empirical evidence on the performance of cities and on the determinants of competitiveness; explores key policy issues including the interplay between the planning system and urban competitiveness and the links between social policy and economic performance. "Urban competitiveness" will be of great interest to policy makers and practitioners involved in urban regeneration, and to academics interested in the study of the performance of cities.