ISBN Number: 9789264022591
Publication Date: 
April 2007
Pages: 133
Number of tables: 6
Number of graphs: 6

Competitive Cities: A New Entrepreneurial Paradigm in Spatial Development

Economic globalisation and the subsequent intensification of inter-city competition have profoundly changed urban governance. This is particularly evident in the field of urban spatial development. The change is often described as a shift from a managerial mode of governance, which is primarily concerned with effective provision of social welfare services to citizens, to a more entrepreneurial mode, strongly characterised by risk-taking, innovation, a strong orientation toward the private sector and a strategic approach which focuses on economic growth.

The aim of this study is to review the challenges that urban entrepreneurialism must overcome to maintain and strengthen its relevance in the 21st century. Urban policy planners are expected to address an increasingly wide range of objectives, including social, environmental and cultural issues as well as economic ones.