Suchergebnisse

Forces that appear to be shaping urban growth & change at the end of the twentieth century are: tertiarization, the shift from manufacturing to services; informationalization, ie, the increasing use of information as the basis of the economy; locational disarticulation, whereby command & control functions are carried out in places different from production locations; & constant innovation in both manufacturing & the generation & exchange of information. The result is a new urban hierarchy dominated by global cities -- New York City, London (England), & Tokyo (Japan) -- & about twenty subglobal cities that serve the global cities & major world regions. Overall, higher-level urban development is concentrated into small axial belts in the US, Japan, & northwestern Europe. At the level of the individual metro area simultaneous dispersal of homes & jobs increases journeys & poses challenges to land use & transportation policies, usually separated in central & local government. Additional challenges emerge from the basic policy tensions between the principle of wealth creation & principles of sustainability & conservation. 2 Tables, 19 References. Adapted from the source document.

The paper describes seven major forces which are currently affecting the spatial structure of urban Europe. Globalisation of the world economy has emphasised comparative advantage leading to the deindustrialisation of many older cities and the emergence of a very select group of Eurocities. Changes in east-central Europe will provide a new stimulus to the growth of capital and second order cities in which new investment will be concentrated. The urban impact of the shift to the informational sector is twofold: major capitals will intensify their dominance but at a lower level of function there will be dispersal. Technological innovations in transport and communications are likely to lead to more polycentric cities. Lastly, the impacts on European cities of urban marketing and socio-demographic changes are described.

THE AUTHOR EXAMINES THE MODEL OF SOCIAL LEARNING OFTEN BELIEVED TO CONFIRM THE AUTONOMY OF THE STATE FROM SOCIAL PRESSURES, TESTS IT AGAINST RECENT CASES OF CHANGE IN BRITISH ECONOMIC POLICIES, AND OFFERS A FULLER ANALYSIS OF THE ROLE OF IDEAS IN POLICY MAKING, BASED ON THE CONCEPT OF POLICY PARADIGMS. A CONVENTIONAL MODEL OF SOCIAL LEARNING IS FOUND TO FIT SOME TYPES OF CHANGES IN POLICY BUT NOT THE MOVEMENT FROM KEYNESIAN TO MONETARIST MODES OF POLICY MAKING. IN CASES OF PARADIGM SHIFT, POLICY RESPONDS TO A WIDER SOCIAL DEBATE BOUND UP WITH ELECTORAL COMPETITION THAT DEMANDS A REFORMULATION OF TRADITIONAL CONCEPTIONS OF STATE-SOCIETY RELATIONS.