Showing papers in "Urban Studies in 2005"
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that the emerging innovative horizontal and networked arrangements of governance-beyond-the-state are decidedly Janus-faced, particularly under conditions in which the democratic character of the political sphere is increasingly eroded by the encroaching imposition of market forces that set the "rules of the game".
Abstract: Summary. This paper focuses on the fifth dimension of social innovation—i.e. political governance. Although largely neglected in the mainstream ‘innovation’ literature, innovative governance arrangements are increasingly recognised as potentially significant terrains for fostering inclusive development processes. International organisations like the EU and the World Bank, as well as leading grass-roots movements, have pioneered new and more participatory governance arrangements as a pathway towards greater inclusiveness. Indeed, over the past two decades or so, a range of new and often innovative institutional arrangements has emerged, at a variety of geographical scales. These new institutional ‘fixes’ have begun to challenge traditional state-centred forms of policy-making and have generated new forms of governance-beyond-thestate. Drawing on Foucault’s notion of governmentality, the paper argues that the emerging innovative horizontal and networked arrangements of governance-beyond-the-state are decidedly Janus-faced. While enabling new forms of participation and articulating the state‐ civil society relationships in potentially democratising ways, there is also a flip side to the process. To the extent that new governance arrangements rearticulate the state-civil society relationship, they also redefine and reposition the meaning of (political) citizenship and, consequently, the nature of democracy itself. The first part of the paper outlines the contours of governance-beyond-the-state. The second part addresses the thorny issues of the state‐civil society relationship in the context of the emergence of the new governmentality associated with governance-beyond-the-state. The third part teases out the contradictory way in which new arrangements of governance have created new institutions and empowered new actors, while disempowering others. It is argued that this shift from ‘government’ to ‘governance’ is associated with the consolidation of new technologies of government, on the one hand, and with profound restructuring of the parameters of political democracy on the other, leading to a substantial democratic deficit. The paper concludes by suggesting that socially innovative arrangements of governance-beyond-the-state are fundamentally Janus-faced, particularly under conditions in which the democratic character of the political sphere is increasingly eroded by the encroaching imposition of market forces that set the ‘rules of the game’.
1,407 citations
TL;DR: The concept of employability plays a crucial role in informing labour market policy in the UK, the EU and beyond as mentioned in this paper, and discusses its value as an exploratory concept and a framework for policy analysis.
Abstract: The concept of 'employability' plays a crucial role in informing labour market policy in the UK, the EU and beyond. This paper analyses current and previous applications of the term and discusses its value as an exploratory concept and a framework for policy analysis. It then traces the development of the concept, discusses its role in current labour market and training strategies (with particular reference to the UK) and seeks to identify an approach to defining employability that can better inform labour market policy, by transcending explanations of employment and unemployment that focus solely on either supply-side or demand-side factors. Although the literature offers a range of definitions of 'employability', many policy-makers have recently used the term as shorthand for 'the individual's employability skills and attributes'. It is argued that this 'narrow' usage can lead to a 'hollowing out' of the concept of employability. The paper concludes by presenting a broad framework for analysing employability built around individual factors, personal circumstances and external factors, which acknowledges the importance of both supply- and demand-side factors.
1,072 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a special topic on social innovation in the governance of urban communities is introduced, which aims to widen the debate on the meaning of social innovation both in social science theory and as a tool for empirical research on socioeconomic development and governance at local level.
Abstract: This paper introduces a Special Topic on social innovation in the governance of urban communities. It also seeks to widen the debate on the meaning of social innovation both in social science theory and as a tool for empirical research on socioeconomic development and governance at the local level. This debate is organised around ALMOLIN-i.e. alternative models for local innovation as utilised in the SINGOCOM (social innovation in governance in (local) communities) research. The first section explains the role of social innovation in neighbourhood development and how it is best addressed from theoretical, historical and experience-oriented viewpoints. The second section provides a survey of the definitions of social innovation in a variety of social science fields, while the third section mobilises various strands of literature that will be of use for the analytical refinement of ALMOLIN. Section four illustrates how ALMOLIN is used as an analytical tool for empirical research. The final section shows som...
645 citations
TL;DR: The authors developed a set of quantitative variables to characterise urban forms at the metropolitan level and distinguish compactness from'sprawl' and developed a global Moran coefficient, which characterises the fourth dimension of urban form.
Abstract: This paper develops a set of quantitative variables to characterise urban forms at the metropolitan level and, in particular, to distinguish compactness from 'sprawl'. It first reviews and analyses past research on the definitions of urban form, compactness and sprawl, and corresponding quantitative variables. Four quantitative variables are developed to measure four dimensions of urban form at the metropolitan level: metropolitan size, activity intensity, the degree that activities are evenly distributed, and the extent that high-density sub-areas are clustered. Through a series of simulation analyses, the global Moran coefficient, which characterises the fourth dimension, distinguishes compactness from sprawl. It is high, intermediate and close to zero for monocentric, polycentric and decentralised sprawling forms respectively. In addition, the more there is more local sprawl, composed of discontinuity and strip development, the lower is the Moran coefficient.
605 citations
TL;DR: The evidence of how far flagship and major cultural projects contribute to a range of regeneration objectives is, however, limited as mentioned in this paper, and measuring the social, economic and environmental impacts attributed to the cultural element in area regeneration is problematic and the 'evidence' is seldom robust.
Abstract: Culture-led regeneration, as it has come to be known, is now a feature of cities-old and new-as they seek to revive former industrial and waterfront sites and city centres, and establish themselves as competitive cities of culture. At the same time, the rationale for cultural input to area and neighbourhood regeneration has been extended to include quality of life, as well as economic outcomes. The evidence of how far flagship and major cultural projects contribute to a range of regeneration objectives is, however, limited. Measuring the social, economic and environmental impacts attributed to the cultural element in area regeneration is problematic and the 'evidence' is seldom robust. The paper reviews both evidence and the indicators used to measure impacts and concludes with an assessment of how and why gaps in evidence persist.
499 citations
TL;DR: The results of a recent survey conducted in eight residential areas in the Greater Oslo Region support the hypothesis that there is a connection between land use characteristics and household consumption of energy and transport as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The results of a recent survey conducted in eight residential areas in the Greater Oslo Region support the hypothesis that there is a connection between land use characteristics and household consumption of energy and transport. Findings from the survey also lend great support to the compact city as a sustainable urban form. However, three distinct findings indicate that decentralised concentration could lead to even lower energy use in households: while the extent of everyday travel decreases in densely populated areas, the central urban areas represent the highest level of leisure-time travel by plane; the access to a private garden limits the extent of leisure travel; and, the difference in energy use for housing between single-family and multifamily housing is reduced in housing built after 1980, indicating that the established conclusions on the most energy-efficient housing should be questioned.
486 citations
TL;DR: The authors examines the process of tourist gentrification using a case study of the socio-spatial transformation of New Orleans' Vieux Carre (French Quarter) over the past halfcentury.
Abstract: Summary. This paper examines the process of ‘tourism gentrification’ using a case study of the socio-spatial transformation of New Orleans’ Vieux Carre (French Quarter) over the past halfcentury. Tourism gentrification refers to the transformation of a middle-class neighbourhood into a relatively affluent and exclusive enclave marked by a proliferation of corporate entertainment and tourism venues. Historically, the Vieux Carre has been the home of diverse groups of people. Over the past two decades, however, median incomes and property values have increased, escalating rents have pushed out lower-income people and African Americans, and tourist attractions and large entertainment clubs now dominate much of the neighbourhood. It is argued that the changing flows of capital into the real estate market combined with the growth of tourism enhance the significance of consumption-oriented activities in residential space and encourage gentrification. The paper contests explanations that view gentrification as an expression of consumer demands, individual preferences or market laws of supply and demand. It examines how the growth of securitisation, changes in consumption and increasing dominance of large entertainment firms manifest through the development of a tourism industry in New Orleans, giving gentrification its own distinct dynamic and local quality.
441 citations
374 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explore the role of civil society in new urban governance arrangements that will hopefully contribute to counter the trends towards social exclusion in many countries, and argue that civil society is found to be a valuable contributor towards more cohesive cities.
Abstract: Processes of socioeconomic polarisation and social exclusion mark contemporary cities. In many countries, welfare states are in crisis, suffering from post-Fordist transformations. In cities, new ways of governance are needed to overcome the consequences of economic, social and political restructuring. This article seeks to explore the role of civil society in new urban governance arrangements that will hopefully contribute to counter the trends towards social exclusion. While aware of the ambiguity of civil society's role in rebuilding governance relationships, it is argued that, under certain conditions, civil society is found to be a valuable contributor towards more cohesive cities and governance arrangements that promote them. Such conditions involve the existence of a multiscalar democratic governance regime that favours public deliberation and social economy initiatives.
335 citations
TL;DR: The outcomes of cities' engagement with arts festivals, however, remain little understood, particularly in the context of urban areas as mentioned in this paper, where the outcomes of urban arts festivals are little understood.
Abstract: There has been a remarkable rise in the number of urban arts festivals in recent decades. The outcomes of cities' engagement with arts festivals, however, remain little understood, particularly in ...
333 citations
TL;DR: The authors surveys both historical and contemporary academic literature, as well as practice-rooted conceptualisations of the social economy, to provide a clear perspective on defining the Social economy today. But they do not address the question of the relevance of a unifying concept with its need to embrace the existing diversity of approaches and concepts.
Abstract: Summary. This paper attempts to provide a clear perspective on defining the social economy today. It addresses the question of the relevance of a unifying concept with its need to embrace the existing diversity of approaches and concepts. To this end, it surveys both historical and contemporary academic literature, as well as practice-rooted conceptualisations of the social economy. The first section outlines the analytical challenges to a reconstruction of the social economy concept. The second enhances the historical and space-bound diversity in theorising and institutionalising social economy practices. Section 3 focuses on contemporary reconceptualisations of the social economy in Francophone and Anglo-Saxon literature, while section 4 then suggests improvements to current ‘social economy’ concepts, by linking them to both the lessons of history and the views of social economy practitioners today.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors draw on institutionalist approaches as developed in the fields of policy analysis and planning, to develop a methodological approach for assessing how the governance capacity for socially innovative action might emerge.
Abstract: This paper draws on institutionalist approaches as developed in the fields of policy analysis and planning, to develop a methodological approach for assessing how the governance capacity for socially innovative action might emerge. After introducing the problematic of the search for governance relations which have the capacity for social innovation, the second and third parts of the paper summarise the emerging social-constructivist 'institutionalist' approach in policy analysis and planning. The fourth part draws on a three-level analytical model of governance dynamics to explore the dynamics and dialectics of urban governance transformation processes, illustrated with a case study of a socially innovative area-based initiative. The final section considers the power dynamics of episodes of socially innovative governance arising from within civil society and their potential to transform wider governance processes and cultures.
TL;DR: In this article, an analysis of the presence of synergy is carried out for the Randstad region in the Netherlands, which is often considered a classic example of a polycentric urban region, focusing on the synergy mechanisms of co-operation and in particular complementarity.
Abstract: Summary. Polycentric urban regions, or urban networks, are often associated with the notion of synergy, the assumption being that the individual cities in these collections of distinct but proximally located cities relate to each other in a synergetic way, making the whole network of cities more than the sum of its parts. Drawing on economic network theories, an analysis of the presence of synergy is carried out for the Randstad region in the Netherlands, which is often considered a classic example of a polycentric urban region. The analysis focuses on the synergy mechanisms of co-operation and in particular complementarity. The results are mixed. In terms of co-operation, the Randstad has become more synergetic. However, the less complementary economic roles of the cities caused a reverse effect.
TL;DR: In this paper, a nested logit model is applied to estimate the indirect random utility functions of the intention to move and residential location choice based on stated preference data, and the estimation results of the intentions to move model illustrate the impact of housing and household characteristics on the probability of moving.
Abstract: This paper aims to quantify the extent to which transport and other factors impact on residential decisions using Oxfordshire, UK, as a case study. It investigates the impacts of the current dwelling, household characteristics and alternative properties on the probability of moving. It also highlights the trade-off between access, space and other attributes in residential location choice. Particular emphasis is placed on assessing the impact of transport and location-embedded amenities. A nested logit model is applied to estimate the indirect random utility functions of the intention to move and residential location choice based on stated preference data. The estimation results of the intentions to move model illustrate the impact of housing and household characteristics on the probability of moving. The estimation results of the residential location choice model quantify the trade-offs between transport, amenities and other factors.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors question the rhetoric of the cultural industries and investigate emerging alternative scenarios and argue that an increasing number of voices of dissent in the arts suggest an alternative approach to urban regeneration.
Abstract: Summary. Since the 1980s, the cultural industries have gained a key role in strategies to deal with urban problems, seen as able to provide a new economic base in post-industrial settings. Cases of flagship cultural institutions such as Tate Modern or the Guggenheim in Bilbao imply that a cultural turn in urban policy delivers urban revitalisation. Following the turn in Glasgow’s fortunes after being European Capital of Culture in 1990, it is easy to understand how city authorities and developers alike are captivated by cultural projects. But there are questions: is advocacy for the creative industries to be trusted? To what extent can policies and strategies which are successful in one city be mapped onto others? And to what extent do cultural producers, such as artists, subscribe to the party line? An increasing number of voices of dissent in the arts suggest an alternative approach to urban regeneration. This paper questions the rhetoric of the cultural industries and investigates emerging alternative scenarios.
TL;DR: In this article, it is argued that the processes through which artworks become installed into the urban fabric are critical to the successful development of inclusion, and that public art intervention has been perceived as an aspect of cultural domination and has thus provoked resistance.
Abstract: Summary. In this article, it is shown how cultural policy, and in particular public art, intersects with the processes of urban restructuring and how it is a contributor, but also antidote, to the conflict that typically surrounds the restructuring of urban space. The particular focus of the paper is on investigating how public art can be inclusionary/exclusionary as part of the wider project of urban regeneration. The first part of the paper examines examples in which public art intervention has attempted to generate inclusion. Subsequently, attention focuses more on examples in which the public art has been perceived as an aspect of cultural domination and has thus provoked resistance. Throughout, it is argued that the processes through which artworks become installed into the urban fabric are critical to the successful development of inclusion.
TL;DR: In this article, the success of the European Union City/Capital of Culture (COC) programme as a model for culture-led regeneration by assessing the long-term cultural impacts of Glasgow's experience is evaluated.
Abstract: This paper evaluates the success of the European Union City/Capital of Culture programme as a model for culture-led regeneration by assessing the long-term cultural impacts of Glasgow's experience ...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the long-run convergence of regional house prices in the UK and found that the first principal component is stationary, and that those regions that are more distant from London exhibit the highest degrees of persistence with respect to deviations in house price differentials.
Abstract: This paper investigates the long-run convergence of regional house prices in the UK. Existing studies have failed to reach a consensus on whether or not regional house prices exhibit long-run convergence with each other. The application is proposed of a new test involving unit root testing of the first principal component based on regional—national house price differentials. Using mix-adjusted quarterly data for 1973—2006, it is found that the first principal component is stationary. This suggests that all UK regional house prices are driven by a single common stochastic trend. Further analysis suggests that those regions that are more distant from London exhibit the highest degrees of persistence with respect to deviations in house price differentials.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors discuss the phenomenon of "informal actors" influencing the agenda of urban planning and urban politics by means of temporary reappropriation and animation of "indeterminate" spaces.
Abstract: Summary. This paper discusses the phenomenon of ‘informal actors’ influencing the agenda of urban planning and urban politics by means of temporary reappropriation and animation of ‘indeterminate’ spaces. The latter are spaces left out of ‘time and place’ with regard to their urban surroundings, mainly as a consequence of rampant deindustrialisation processes and the ‘shrinking’ city. The unclear and undetermined status of these urban ‘no-man’s-lands’ may allow for the emergence of a non-planned, spontaneous ‘urbanity’. This intervention may be based on different motives: marginal lifestyles, informal economies, artistic experimentation, a deliberately open transformation of public space allowing for equal access and equal representation or a high degree of social and cultural inclusion. These expressions of the ‘lived’ city at present constitute a pronounced paradox for established city planning and urban politics. Institutionalised stakeholders may occasionally appreciate their presence for their inherent potential to enhance attractiveness of and revitalisation of certain parts of the city. On the other hand, these sites and the actors involved also spatialise and visualise a resistance and temporary alternative to the institutionalised domain and the dominant principles of urban development. Urban restructuring in the post-Fordist city, foremost in the development of inner-city areas, is increasingly focused on a unidimensional logic of commodification, monofunctionality and control. Thus, the complex qualities of animated ‘indeterminate’ spaces are difficult to incorporate into planning procedures. They often become threatened in their existence and pushed to the margins. Nevertheless, the urban conflict around these sites and the appearance of ‘non-planned’ planners on the urban scene, may decisively alter the urban agenda and set the themes for further development, which takes their positive economic and social function and their key role in sustaining and renewing urban cultures into account. The paper discusses this phenomenon, illustrated with an account of three case studies in the cities of Helsinki, Berlin and Brussels. The comparative dimension allows for a subsequent discussion focusing on elaborating the conditions of ‘success’ for informal actors in urban development processes. The predominant question then is how these new forms of urbanism can be given a place in city planning in order to pay more justice to the social and cultural complexity that constitutes contemporary urbanity.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors identify the underlying causes of bad neighborhoods along with their corresponding characteristics, and propose a method to identify the root cause of bad neighbourhoods along with its characteristics.
Abstract: David Rusk, former Mayor of Albuquerque, New Mexico, has observed that "bad neighborhoods defeat good programs". This paper identifies the underlying causes of bad neighbourhoods along with their c...
TL;DR: Investment in sporting infrastructure in cities over the past 20 years was not primarily aimed at getting the local community involved in sport, but was instead aimed at attracting tourists, encouraging inward investment and changing the image of the city as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Investment in sporting infrastructure in cities over the past 20 years was not primarily aimed at getting the local community involved in sport, but was instead aimed at attracting tourists,encouraging inward investment and changing the image of the city. The first example of this new strategy was seen in Sheffield with the investment of £147 million in sporting facilities to host the
World Student Games of 1991. More recently, Manchester spent over £200 million on sporting venues in order to host the 2002 Commonwealth Games, with a further £470 million expenditure on other non-sport infrastructure investment in Sportcity in east Manchester. In the British context, most of the cities following this strategy of using sport for economic regeneration have been industrial cities, not normally known as major tourist destinations. The drivers of such policies were the need for a new image and new employment opportunities caused by the loss of their conventional industrial base. This article analyses the justification for such investments in sport in cities and assesses the evidence for the success of such strategies.
TL;DR: The contribution of residential development to aspects of sustainability, drawing on a range of survey evidence in Bristol and Swansea, was explored by as mentioned in this paper, who found that a large proportion of residents walk to city centre attractions, and many also to their places of work, showing reduced reliance on the private car.
Abstract: Following a discussion of recent policies for the city centre in Britain, the paper explores the contribution of residential development to aspects of sustainability, drawing on a range of survey evidence in Bristol and Swansea. The residents are frequent shoppers, helping to sustain the local daytime economy. Sustainability goals are also supported because large proportions of residents walk to city centre attractions, and many also to their places of work, showing reduced reliance on the private car. Support for the expanding nighttime economy reflects the age, gender and social class composition of the resident population, with different attractions receiving different levels of support from different social groups, but with younger adults as the mainstay. Sustainability in the city centre context appears best served by a majority of young adult residents, ameliorated by a sizeable proportion of older adults, and an absence of households with children. Grandiose government sustainability aims of creati...
TL;DR: In this paper, the identification and role of social innovation in urban development is discussed, using a thorough analysis of the process of participatory budgeting in Porto Alegre, the capital city of Rio Grande do Sul.
Abstract: This article focuses on the identification and role of social innovation in urban development. The aim is to further the understanding of the contradictory relationship between state and civil society, using a thorough analysis of the process of participatory budgeting in Porto Alegre, the capital city of Rio Grande do Sul—the most southern state of Brazil. The first section spells out four different concepts of the relationship between state and civil society and their implications for social innovation. In the second section, these popular movements are shown to be embedded in the historically rooted structure of patrimonialism and capitalism in Brazil. The third section provides an historical analysis of Brazilian popular movements which represent new key actors in civil society. The fourth section offers a detailed description of the process of the participatory budget. In the final section, conclusions are drawn about social innovation in local politics, focusing on the empowering experiments with ne...
TL;DR: In this article, a global intercity matrix based on the so-called marketing information data transfer database is proposed to circumvent some previously identified problems. But the authors admit that the proposed model is not suitable for the analysis of air passenger flows.
Abstract: Information on air passenger flows is potentially a prime data source for assessing spatial patterns in the world city network, but previous analyses of this issue have been hampered by inadequate and/or partial data. The ensuing analytical deficiencies have reduced the overall value of these analyses. Therefore, this paper examines how some of these deficiencies might be rectified. First, it reviews the rationale for using airline data to analyse the world city network. Secondly, it assesses the problems encountered by previous research. The third section elaborates on the construction of a global intercity matrix based on the so-called Marketing Information Data Transfer database and explains how this matrix can circumvent some previously identified problems.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors consider a more extended version of the role of design in the process of culture-led regeneration, where designers are implicated among networks of urban elites that decide strategies.
Abstract: Studies on the identity formation of urban centres and the use of aesthetic markers within that regeneration process largely fall into two camps that reflect their respective academic provenance. On the one hand, this effect is assessed by reference to urban planning and architectural processes. Here, the interest is firmly in the design hardware of buildings, streets and public spaces and how they are used to differentiate and communicate. On the other, this is reviewed by reference to the marketing strategies of place branding. Here the emotional software of brand identity programmes, as carried through literature, websites, the copywriting of slogans and other largely two-dimensional platforms comes into view. Within the remit of 'culture-led regeneration', the article considers a more extended version of the role of design in this process. Designers are implicated among networks of urban elites that decide strategies. But their involvement takes the process of design-led regeneration beyond buildings ...
TL;DR: The authors reviewed the discursive underpinnings of the growing aestheticisation of the landscape as part of urban boosterism in the context of south-east Asia and examined the emerging spatial politics, social polarisations and symbolic discontent accompanying cultural regeneration.
Abstract: No longer just epicentres of capital transactions, cities are 'going global' on the basis of integrating economic and cultural activity as an urban regeneration strategy. Place-wars among cities to attract investors have intensified around the production and consumption of culture and the arts, often taking the form of the construction of mega-projects and hallmark events, the development of a cultural industries sector and an upsurge of urban image-making and branding activities. This paper first reviews the discursive underpinnings of the growing aestheticisation of the landscape as part of urban boosterism in the context of south-east Asia. As with other post-colonial cities which have embraced an entrepreneurial regime, spatial imagineering in south-east Asian cities draws on 'local' identity to gain a competitive edge in the global marketplace. This is followed by an examination of the emerging spatial politics, social polarisations and symbolic discontent accompanying cultural regeneration.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that skills and spatial mismatches reinforce each other and that the concept of employability offers some potential to help understand how job searchers and employers make decisions in situations of skills and/or spatial mismatch.
Abstract: The skills mismatch and spatial mismatch perspectives are often presented as competing explanations of the spatial distribution of unemployment within metropolitan areas. This paper argues that the spatial mismatch hypothesis addresses some of the shortcomings of the skills mismatch perspective, while not denying the importance of skills mismatch. The development of the spatial mismatch hypothesis in the US is traced, before considering its relevance in the British context. A framework in which to conceptualise and reconcile skills mismatch and spatial mismatch within metropolitan areas is developed, incorporating the operation of local housing and labour markets as well as the role of commuting. The paper concludes by arguing that skills and spatial mismatches reinforce each other and that the concept of employability offers some potential to help understand how job searchers and employers make decisions in situations of skills and/or spatial mismatch. The implications for future research are highlighted.
TL;DR: In this paper, the new institution of ambiguous property rights over state-owned urban land evolves from the ambiguous property right establishment in Chinese economic reforms since 1978, which is a continuous process of fundamental institutional change.
Abstract: Chinese economic reforms since 1978 have been a continuous process of fundamental institutional change. The new institution of ambiguous property rights over state-owned urban land evolves from the...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors use an interlocking network model to evaluate the importance of leading world cities within contemporary globalisation, treating cities as locales through which four globalisations-economic, cultural, political and social-are produced and reproduced.
Abstract: This is an empirical paper that uses an interlocking network model to evaluate the importance of leading world cities within contemporary globalisation. Cities are treated as locales through which four globalisations-economic, cultural, political and social-are produced and reproduced. Sixteen sets of data describing agents of global network formation, such as global service firms, NGOs and UN agencies, are analysed to measure cities' overall network locations and sub-net articulator roles. Analyses are synthesised in a taxonomy of leading world cities that identifies five classes of 'global city' and types of other world cities.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors extend the spatial mismatch literature by examining access to employment for the low-income population in Erie and Niagara Counties in western New York State, using geographical information systems (GIS) to map residence and employment locations and calculate measures of employment and transport access.
Abstract: This study extends the spatial mismatch literature by examining access to employment for the low-income population in Erie and Niagara Counties in western New York State. The analysis uses geographical information systems (GIS) to map residence and employment locations and calculate measures of employment and transport access. Throughout the two-county region, two-thirds of adults in poverty live within close proximity to a reasonable number of low-wage jobs. The ratio of the number of jobs accessible within a 30-minute commute by automobile versus public transit varies only slightly across neighbourhoods with high poverty rates. The close proximity of the suburbs to the central city and the network of grid and radial streets connecting the two places make suburban job access reasonable. Thus, despite higher numbers of low-wage jobs in the suburbs, job access in the city is superior to job access in the suburbs due to higher densities of employment opportunities and the existence of developed transport ne...