How cities matter / Richard Harris.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Harris, Richard, 1973- author.

Series:

Cambridge elements. Elements in global urban history, 2632-3206

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Cities and towns--Philosophy.

Cities and towns.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (86 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2021.

Summary:

Most historians and social scientists treat cities as mere settings. In fact, urban places shape our experience. There, daily life has a faster, artificial rhythm and, for good and ill, people and agencies affect each other through externalities (uncompensated effects) whose impact is inherently geographical. In economic terms, urban concentration enables efficiency and promotes innovation while raising the costs of land, housing, and labour. Socially, it can alienate or provide anonymity, while fostering new forms of community. It creates congestion and pollution, posing challenges for governance. Some effects extend beyond urban borders, creating cultural change. The character of cities varies by country and world region, but it has generic qualities, a claim best tested by comparing places that are most different. These qualities intertwine, creating built environments that endure. To fully comprehend such path dependency, we need to develop a synthetic vision that is historically and geographically informed.

Contents:

Cover

Title page

Copyright page

How Cities Matter

Contents

1 Introduction

What We Are Talking About

Parts and Wholes

Places and Times

The Campaign Plan

2 Historians and the Urban Question

Where Is the Theory in Urban History?

Why 'Urban' Theory Matters

Encouraging Notes

3 The Economic Significance of Cities

The Economic Impact of Cities

Efficiencies

The Housing Market

Innovation

Who Benefits?

4 Urbanism As Ways of Life

Anonymity

Freedom

Diversity and Change

Community

Residential Segregation

5 'Urban' Problems and Governance

Urban Problems and Externalities

The Land Market

Responses

Regulation and Taxation

Building Infrastructure

6 Beyond City Limits: Connections and Comparisons

Connections

Local Connections and Among Cities

Connections Beyond City Limits

Comparison

7 Conclusion

References

Acknowledgments.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 25 Jun 2021).

ISBN:

1-108-78664-2

1-108-78243-4

OCLC:

1258273740