Megacities

As one of the fastest growing cities in Europe, London has become a mass generator of employment and a magnet for inward migration. Yet London is also a divided city, whose expansion has generated many planning challenges. This book explores the tensions, complexities and difficulties in mobilizing policy agendas in London, but it also argues that public policy still matters and makes a significant difference to outcomes. The authors show how the market-led development of London has meant that the state supports more private-sector-led governance and this has given rise to widespread privatization of the city's decision-making processes and policy implementation. As a key command and control centre in the global economy, London's privatized model has become one for other megacities to emulate.

Alongside New York and London, Paris is one of the world's earliest megacities. Its growth and character have been fashioned by a distinctive mix of policies that separate it from other long-time megacities as well as the fast-growing urban centres of the Global South. Christian Lefevre examines the social and economic forces that have shaped Paris and which have made it the city it is today. He charts the impact of global trends, such as the shift from industry to service and information sectors, as well as regional factors, especially those arising from Paris's unique system of governance. The book examines the central role the national government has played in policies affecting the city and explores how the shift towards political decentralization and localism has contributed to a system increasingly incapable of taking collective action. This tension is shown to have impacted the city's provision of services, particularly housing, and promoted inequalities within the city and its region. Paris's unrivalled national dominance is also examined alongside its weaker position as a global city. The book is an authoritative analysis of the evolution of modern Paris and the challenges that face its governance and future development.

New York became the world's first megacity in the 1930s. Since then it has remained the largest city in North America but, globally, it has been surpassed in size by the younger cities of Asia. Nevetheless its metropolitan area is home to 20 million people and it continues to be America's premier city. Jill Gross and Hank Savitch examine the New York metropolis through the lens of a series of twenty-first century pressures related to demography, economic growth, urban development, governance, immigration, leadership and globalization. How New York's institutions and policies have either risen to meet these challenges, stagnated in the face of them, or simply failed to resolve them is the focus of the book. In particular, the authors examine the muncipality of New York City, as the heart of the megacity, and how it navigates the increasingly complex battles with higher levels of government over rights to the city and resource needs. The book examines the shifting tides of corporate centred development, particularly the vibrant financial sector, and how it has leveraged its powerful geopolitical position in the global economy to continue to grow. The question of governance is explored along with the growing reliance on public—private partnerships to manage megacity problems. Mayoral control and leadership is shown to have been fundamental to meeting the needs of the residential population—issues such as crime, schools and housing—along with the demands of business. With over 3 million immigrants, New York is the most diverse city in North America, but it is also among the most segregated and the authors investigate the positive and negative outcomes that such diversity brings. As a comprehensive analysis of the political, economic and social dynamics that have made New York a megacity today, the book will be of interest to a broad readership in political science, public administration, public policy, sociology, geography, political economy, urban planning and regional studies.