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Handbook of Megacities and Megacity-Regions
Exploring the importance of megacities and megacity-regions as one of the defining features of the 21st century, this Handbook provides a clear and comprehensive overview of current thinking and debates from leading scholars in the field. Highlighting major current challenges and dimensions of megaurbanization, chapters form a thematic focus on governance, planning, history, and environmental and social issues, supported by case studies from every continent.
More Information
Critical Acclaim
Contributors
Contents
More Information
Exploring the importance of megacities and megacity-regions as one of the defining features of the 21st century, this Handbook provides a clear and comprehensive overview of current thinking and debates from leading scholars in the field. Highlighting major current challenges and dimensions of megaurbanization, chapters form a thematic focus on governance, planning, history, and environmental and social issues, supported by case studies from every continent.
Analysing vital questions for contemporary urban research, this Handbook looks at: what place megacities and megacity-regions occupy in a world of cities; how they interrogate current thinking about urban society, theory, and policy; and what role these largest of urban areas will play in shaping humanity’s future. Key contributions reveal that research needs to further focus a critical and analytical lens on the particularities and distinctive issues associated with megaurbanization.
A timely and essential read for urban studies, urban geography, and public policy students, the interdisciplinary nature of this Handbook provides a thorough view into the features and importance of megacities and megacity-regions. Public policy-makers and planners will also benefit from the wide-ranging case studies included.
Analysing vital questions for contemporary urban research, this Handbook looks at: what place megacities and megacity-regions occupy in a world of cities; how they interrogate current thinking about urban society, theory, and policy; and what role these largest of urban areas will play in shaping humanity’s future. Key contributions reveal that research needs to further focus a critical and analytical lens on the particularities and distinctive issues associated with megaurbanization.
A timely and essential read for urban studies, urban geography, and public policy students, the interdisciplinary nature of this Handbook provides a thorough view into the features and importance of megacities and megacity-regions. Public policy-makers and planners will also benefit from the wide-ranging case studies included.
Critical Acclaim
‘What remains to be said about cities when the planet is completely urbanized? This astonishing new Handbook seeks answers in the megacity-regions of the world, especially in the burgeoning urban constellations of eastern Asia. The book’s diverse and topical chapters help planners and decision-makers, and ultimately inhabitants, to “find their bearings” in the unmoored vastness of a planet of megacities.’
– Roger Keil, York University, Canada
‘The book fulfills a very timely mission: to reveal just how complex, varied, and multi-scaled the global urban reality has become – and is still becoming. The authors provide an antidote to simplifying notions about cities and megacities, updating our understanding of urban forces and dynamics, so that we might act upon them more effectively.’
– Jeb Brugmann, Founder, ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability, Germany and author, Welcome to the Urban Revolution
‘The Handbook of Megacities and Megacity-Regions provides a much needed assessment of 21st century urbanization, especially with its attention to the scale and density that characterizes todays cities. Its nuanced discussion of how to define megacities and megacity-regions is an important contribution to our understanding of one of the most critical megatrends of our times.’
– Eugenie L. Birch, University of Pennsylvania, US
– Roger Keil, York University, Canada
‘The book fulfills a very timely mission: to reveal just how complex, varied, and multi-scaled the global urban reality has become – and is still becoming. The authors provide an antidote to simplifying notions about cities and megacities, updating our understanding of urban forces and dynamics, so that we might act upon them more effectively.’
– Jeb Brugmann, Founder, ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability, Germany and author, Welcome to the Urban Revolution
‘The Handbook of Megacities and Megacity-Regions provides a much needed assessment of 21st century urbanization, especially with its attention to the scale and density that characterizes todays cities. Its nuanced discussion of how to define megacities and megacity-regions is an important contribution to our understanding of one of the most critical megatrends of our times.’
– Eugenie L. Birch, University of Pennsylvania, US
Contributors
Contributors: M.I. Arribas, N. Aveline-Dubach, J.-A. Boudreau, R. Cardoso, A. Choplin, F. de Alba, A. Facchini, B.M. Fekete, J. Friedmann, H. Han, A. Hertzog, D. Hoornweg, H. Imai, C.A. Kennedy, L. Kennedy, C. Kessler, N. Kwak, D. Labbé, M. Leaf, C. Lefèvre, J. Li, X. Liu, P.J. Marcotullio, E. Meijers, J.C. Muñoz, G.D. Nelson, K. Pope, A. Rae, W.E. Rees, S. Reyes-Paecke, L. Sagaris, G. Shatkin, C. Silver, A. Simone, M.I. Solimano, A. Sorensen, I.D. Stewart, D. Webster, M. Wu, J. Xu, A.G.O. Yeh, M.-H. Zérah
Contents
Contents:
1 Megacities, megacity-regions, and the endgame of urbanization 1
André Sorensen and Danielle Labbé
PART I THE CONCEPTUAL CHALLENGES OF MEGACITIES
2 Thinking about mega-conurbations and planning 21
John Friedmann
3 City limits: bounding and unbounding in conceptualizing the megacity 33
Michael Leaf
4 Urbanization and developmental pathways: critical junctures of urban
transition 47
André Sorensen
5 El Monstruo : reflections on catastrophic metaphors about Mexico City 65
Julie-Anne Boudreau and Felipe de Alba
PART II MEGA-URBAN GOVERNANCE
6 Urban governance of megacities: searching for the collective actor 78
Christian Lefèvre
7 Powerful states, weak states: understanding coercion and neglect in the
governance of Marcos-era Manila 92
Nancy Kwak
8 Actors and shifting scales of urban governance in India 101
Loraine Kennedy
9 The incomplete and paradoxical ‘neoliberal turn’ in Mumbai 119
Marie-Hélène Zérah
10 Nurturing neighbourhoods to sustain quality of life in megacities
and large city regions: an interdisciplinary reflection on planning for
sustainable and socially just cities from Chile 134
Lake Sagaris, María Inés Arribas, María Inés Solimano, Sonia Reyes-Paecke
and Juan Carlos Muñoz
PART III MEGA-URBAN PATTERNS, FORMS AND PLANNING APPROACHES
11 Urban containment policies for megacities: the case of Beijing 153
Haoying Han
12 East Asian megacities: the view from the periphery 169
Douglas Webster and Jianyi Li
13 On the road again: the geography and characteristics of American
commuter megaregions 188
Alasdair Rae and Garrett Dash Nelson
14 The West African corridor from Abidjan to Lagos: a megacity-region
under construction 206
Armelle Choplin and Alice Hertzog
15 Cities: growing threats, growing opportunities 223
Daniel Hoornweg and Kevin Pope
PART IV MEGA-URBAN LIFE SPACES AND LIVEABILITY
16 Navigating the extensiveness of Jakarta 234
AbdouMaliq Simone
17 Poverty in a wealthy megacity: stories from Tokyo’s alleys after the
bubble burst 245
Heide Imai
18 Flooding as emotional politics in the Mexican megacity-region 261
Felipe de Alba
PART V MEGA-URBAN ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES
19 Measuring progress toward sustainable megacities 278
Iain D. Stewart, Chris A. Kennedy and Angelo Facchini
20 Megacities at risk: the climate–energy conundrum 292
William E. Rees
21 Future megacity-regions and heatwave exposure 309
Peter J. Marcotullio, Carsten Keßler and Balázs M. Fekete
22 Megacity in the delta: managing water in Jakarta 327
Christopher Silver
PART VI MEGA-URBAN ECONOMICS, REAL ESTATE AND PROPERTY
23 Rethinking megacity-region development: the land–infrastructure–
finance nexus as political project 345
Gavin Shatkin
24 The process of metropolization in megacity-regions 360
Rodrigo Cardoso and Evert Meijers
25 The emergence and economic restructuring of two global super
megacity-regions in China: comparing the Pearl River and Yangtze
River Deltas 376
Anthony G. O. Yeh, Xingjian Liu, Jili Xu and Mengdi Wu
26 The financialization of real estate in megacities and its variegated
trajectories in East Asia 395
Natacha Aveline-Dubach
Index 411
1 Megacities, megacity-regions, and the endgame of urbanization 1
André Sorensen and Danielle Labbé
PART I THE CONCEPTUAL CHALLENGES OF MEGACITIES
2 Thinking about mega-conurbations and planning 21
John Friedmann
3 City limits: bounding and unbounding in conceptualizing the megacity 33
Michael Leaf
4 Urbanization and developmental pathways: critical junctures of urban
transition 47
André Sorensen
5 El Monstruo : reflections on catastrophic metaphors about Mexico City 65
Julie-Anne Boudreau and Felipe de Alba
PART II MEGA-URBAN GOVERNANCE
6 Urban governance of megacities: searching for the collective actor 78
Christian Lefèvre
7 Powerful states, weak states: understanding coercion and neglect in the
governance of Marcos-era Manila 92
Nancy Kwak
8 Actors and shifting scales of urban governance in India 101
Loraine Kennedy
9 The incomplete and paradoxical ‘neoliberal turn’ in Mumbai 119
Marie-Hélène Zérah
10 Nurturing neighbourhoods to sustain quality of life in megacities
and large city regions: an interdisciplinary reflection on planning for
sustainable and socially just cities from Chile 134
Lake Sagaris, María Inés Arribas, María Inés Solimano, Sonia Reyes-Paecke
and Juan Carlos Muñoz
PART III MEGA-URBAN PATTERNS, FORMS AND PLANNING APPROACHES
11 Urban containment policies for megacities: the case of Beijing 153
Haoying Han
12 East Asian megacities: the view from the periphery 169
Douglas Webster and Jianyi Li
13 On the road again: the geography and characteristics of American
commuter megaregions 188
Alasdair Rae and Garrett Dash Nelson
14 The West African corridor from Abidjan to Lagos: a megacity-region
under construction 206
Armelle Choplin and Alice Hertzog
15 Cities: growing threats, growing opportunities 223
Daniel Hoornweg and Kevin Pope
PART IV MEGA-URBAN LIFE SPACES AND LIVEABILITY
16 Navigating the extensiveness of Jakarta 234
AbdouMaliq Simone
17 Poverty in a wealthy megacity: stories from Tokyo’s alleys after the
bubble burst 245
Heide Imai
18 Flooding as emotional politics in the Mexican megacity-region 261
Felipe de Alba
PART V MEGA-URBAN ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES
19 Measuring progress toward sustainable megacities 278
Iain D. Stewart, Chris A. Kennedy and Angelo Facchini
20 Megacities at risk: the climate–energy conundrum 292
William E. Rees
21 Future megacity-regions and heatwave exposure 309
Peter J. Marcotullio, Carsten Keßler and Balázs M. Fekete
22 Megacity in the delta: managing water in Jakarta 327
Christopher Silver
PART VI MEGA-URBAN ECONOMICS, REAL ESTATE AND PROPERTY
23 Rethinking megacity-region development: the land–infrastructure–
finance nexus as political project 345
Gavin Shatkin
24 The process of metropolization in megacity-regions 360
Rodrigo Cardoso and Evert Meijers
25 The emergence and economic restructuring of two global super
megacity-regions in China: comparing the Pearl River and Yangtze
River Deltas 376
Anthony G. O. Yeh, Xingjian Liu, Jili Xu and Mengdi Wu
26 The financialization of real estate in megacities and its variegated
trajectories in East Asia 395
Natacha Aveline-Dubach
Index 411
