The evolution of great world cities
Subtitle: urban wealth and economic growth
By: Christopher Kennedy
Publisher: University of Toronto Press
Published: 2011
Place of publication: Toronto; Buffalo
Language: eng
Number of pages: 242
ISBN-13: 9781442642737; 9781442611528
Subjects: Urban economics; Stadtökonomie; Metropole; Économie urbaine
Description: "Some cities seem destined to become major financial capitals, yet never do - Seville, for instance, was the centre of Spain's opulent New World Empire, but failed to become a financial metropolis. Others, like former colonial backwater Hong Kong, defy the odds by growing into major trading centres. What are the key factors distinguishing those cities that become wealthy from those that don't? Christopher Kennedy illuminates how geography, technology, and especially the infrastructure of urban economies allow cities to develop and thrive.

The Evolution of Great World Cities unfolds through the tales of several urban centres-including Venice, Amsterdam, London, and New York City - at key junctures in their histories. Kennedy weaves together significant insights from urbanists such as Jane Jacobs and economists such as John Maynard Keynes, drawing striking parallels between the functioning of ecosystems and of wealthy capitals. The Evolution of Great World Cities offers an accessible introduction to urban economies that 'will change the way you think about cities.'-- Publisher's description
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [225]-233) and index.
Table of contents: title: Where the streets are paved with gold; title: A theory of urban wealth; title: Markets; title: Competitive financial centres; title: Economic growth, production, and consumption; title: The ecology of urban economics.