Transforming Urban Economies: Policy Lessons from European and Asian Cities

Transforming Urban Economies: Policy Lessons from European and Asian Cities is the first in an ongoing series of research volumes which LSE Cities are publishing with Routledge.

Since the 1990s, cities that were once the economic, political, and social hubs of their respective regions have been faced with new sets of challenges, including the legacy and decline of the ‘old economy’ and the unfolding of the ‘new economy’ as well as rapid technological change, globalisation and the emergence of high-tech, service and knowledge industries.

Faced with these challenges, cities and their metropolitan regions have had to fight hard to maintain their global competitiveness and protect the quality of life of urban residents.

This book provides insights in how cities have responded positively to these challenges. It presents a fine-grained and comprehensive analysis of how Barcelona, Turin, Munich and Seoul have transformed their economies in the last 20 years, and examines their comparative patterns of decline, adaptation and recovery in the face of economic hardship.

This in-depth and practical analysis is aimed at urban leaders, designers, planners, policymakers and scholars who want to understand the dynamics of economic resilience while cities are still suffering from the aftershocks of the 2008 recession. Transforming Urban Economies highlights the importance of aligned and multi-level governance, the need for strategic public investments and the role of the private sector, universities and foundations in leading and guiding complex processes of urban recovery in an increasingly uncertain age.

For full details, visit the Routledge website.