Cities in the 21st Century provides an overview of contemporary urban development. Written by more than thirty major academic specialists from different countries, it provides information on and analysis of the global network of cities, changes in urban form, environmental problems, the role of technologies and knowledge, socioeconomic developments, and finally, the challenge of urban governance.
In the mid-20th century, architect and planner Josep Lluís Sert wondered if cities could survive; in the early 21st century, we see that cities have not only survived but have grown as never before. Cities today are engines of production and trade, forges of scientific and technological innovation, and crucibles of social change. Urbanization is a major driver of change in contemporary societies; it is a process that involves acute social inequalities and serious environmental problems, but also offers opportunities to move towards a future of greater prosperity, environmental sustainability, and social justice.
With case studies on thirty cities in five continents and a selection of infographics illustrating these dynamic cities, this edited volume is an essential resource for planners and students of urbanization and urban change.
Part 1 - Cities in the global socioeconomic network 1. Changing the city, changing the world Outlook 1. The City of London: center of capital flows 2. Cities in the World System Outlook 2.New patterns of circulation of goods: the port of Shanghai 3. Cities as innovation: towards a new understanding of population growth, social inequality and urban sustainability Outlook 3. Ceuta and Melilla: the paradox and drama of international migration Part 2 - Urban morphology: transformations and dissolutions 4. Regional urbanization and the end of the metropolis era Outlook 4. The città diffusa of the Po valley 5. New urban forms: the distinctive character of the European metropolis Outlook 5. The new Luanda 6. Beyond Urbanalization: urban form and the low-carbon challenge Outlook 6. Old and new commercial centres: bazaars vs shopping malls in Ankara 7. Mutations in the LatinAmerican metropolis: Santiago de Chile under neoliberal dynamics Outlook 7. Observing changes in urban form through night satellite images in Buenos Aires and Lima Part 3 - Urban ecosystems: resources and energy 8. Living at the edge of chaos: a complex systems view of cities Outlook 8. Climate-sensitive urbanization in Tokyo-Yokohama 9. Cities in a low carbon world Outlook 9. Pathways to decarbonizing mobility in Madrid 10. Cities, climate change and lifestyles Outlook 10. Urban agriculture in Melbourne 11. The mirage of the sustainable smart city. Planetary urbanization and the spectre of combined and uneven apocalypse Outlook 11. Energy access and water supply in urban centers in arid landscapes: the case of Noutkchott Part 4 - Urban technologies: information, knowledge, infrastructures and culture 12. The cognitive city Outlook 12. Talent concentration and brain drain in greater Boston 13. Dimensions of the future city Outlook 13. Shaping the city with big data: Seattle, Chicago and Lyon 14. Cities, infrastructure and planning: levers to steer transitions Outlook 14. Managing public transport in Medellín 15. Group-form and urban infrastructural resilience: New York City as an example Outlook 15. RES NOVÆ: new things and concepts in the smart city of Bari Part 5 - The urban economy and society: dynamism and inequalities 16. The city as economic engine Outlook 16. Urban festivals as tools for sustainable development: the case of the World Port Days in Rotterdam 17. Dynamism and inequalities in the global south cities Outlook 17. Gender and spaces of fear: the case of Mexico City 18. The city in the net. Infrastructural networks, economic development and urban form Outlook 18. Social construction of urban spaces in Barcelona, Glasgow and New York 19. "New Urbanisation": Theory, Challenges and Research Outlook 19. The slums of Manila Part 6 - Governing cities: visions, projects and instruments 20. The rise of urban governance Outlook 20. The "pacification" of Rio de Janeiro’s favelas 21. Urban policies: towards new scenarios of innovation and governance Outlook 21. The regulation of urban citysenship. Shenzhen’s migrants 22. Up-dating Lorenzetti´s allegories on government towards a Europe of Cities Outlook 22. Exchanging recyclable waste for electricity in Fortaleza Part 7 – Infographic tables
Biography
Oriol Nel·lo is Professor of Urban Geography and Spatial Planning in the Department of Geography, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. His research interests refer to metropolitan dynamics, urban segregation, social movements, and urban policies. He has been Director of the Institute for Metropolitan Studies of Barcelona and Secretary for Spatial Planning in Catalonia.
Renata Mele is Head of Sustainable Development and Innovation Research Area at Enel Foundation. She has been working for both academia and industry on research and innovation. Her present research interests include sustainability in urban environments, urban metabolism of megacity, environmental impacts of energy systems, innovative technologies for power grids, and wireless sensor networks.
"This book skilfully delivers a collection of interconnected readings focusing on the contemporary urban development issues and directions for potential solutions. The book, with snapshots from numerous cities across the globe, is an invaluable reading for urban policy makers, researchers, practitioners and students." –Tan Yigitcanlar, Queensland University of Technology, Australia
