Full Description
Megaregions presents an excellent collection of spatial-imaginary cameos drawn from the US and beyond, together with theoretically searching and provocative commentary from its editors. [The book] provides a series of thought-provoking and question-prompting interjections to inspire and prompt new research agendas.'
- Kathy Pain, Geographical Review
'This splendid collection both defines and dissects trajectories of a research agenda on one of the chief, yet contested, discursive scalar fixes on our planet in an age of complete urbanization: the megaregion.'
- Roger Keil, York University, Toronto, Canada
Are megaregions a meaningful new spatial framework for the analysis of cities in globalization? Drawing together a range of innovative contributions and case studies from around the world, this book interrogates the many claims and counter-claims made about megaregions and critically assesses their position within global urban studies.
Connecting research on megaregions to broader theoretical debates about globalized urbanization, the book examines the latest conceptualizations of trans-metropolitan landscapes. It investigates the opportunities and challenges posed by planning and governing at the megaregional scale and moves the debate forward to address questions of 'how', 'why' and 'by whom' megaregional spaces are being constructed.
This far-reaching book will be of considerable interest to a broad audience, appealing to those engaged in urban and regional studies, geography and planning, and with direct relevance for policymakers and practitioners working at international, state and local levels.
Contributors: B. Fleming, M.R. Glass, J. Harrison, M. Hesse, M. Hoyler, A. Schafran, P. Schmitt, L. Smas, D. Wachsmuth, S.M. Wheeler, X. Zhang
Contents
Contents:
1. Megaregions: Foundations, Frailties, Futures
John Harrison and Michael Hoyler
2. Megaurban Regions: Epistemology, Discourse Patterns, Big Urban Business
Markus Hesse
3. Megaregions and the Urban Question: The New Strategic Terrain for US Urban Competitiveness
David Wachsmuth
4. Beyond Globalization: A Historical Urban Development Approach to Understanding Megaregions
Alex Schafran
5. Five Reasons Why Megaregional Planning Works Against Sustainability
Stephen M. Wheeler
6. Conflicting Spaces of Governance in the Imagined Great Lakes Megaregion
Michael R. Glass
7. Brave New 'Megaregional Worlds'? Reflections from a North European Perspective
Lukas Smas and Peter Schmitt
8. Globalization and the Megaregion: Investigating the Evolution of the Pearl River Delta in a Historical Perspective
Xu Zhang
9. Towards a Megaregional Future: Analysing Progress, Assessing Priorities in the US Megaregion Project
Billy Fleming
10. Megaregions Reconsidered: Urban Futures and the Future of the Urban
John Harrison and Michael Hoyler
Index
