Global urban policy...a framework for analyzing state and society

Cities are globally important policy innovation actors, whether in response to climate change, migration, poverty, health disparities, or in pursuit of growth. As cities adapt to the needs and interests of global capital, policies may be implemented that neglect the well-being of ordinary residents and the most vulnerable groups. How cities choose to contribute to a democratic and sustainable future reveals dimensions of political life that are evident in society as a whole. Global Urban Politics suggests that to understand contemporary societal transformations, and political and policy processes more generally, we need to study the policies that cities create and implement. Moving from the concept of “urban” as a physical location, the authors show that urban lifestyle is characterized by diversity, complexity, chaos, flexibility and constant change. Through eleven empirical case studies, the authors address issues such as housing and urban development, migration, climate change, and crime in cities as diverse as Berlin, Medellin, Chicago, Accra, Guangzhou, São Paulo, Mumbai, and Saint-Étienne. These studies show how contemporary confrontations between public and private property, power and justice, participation and exclusion, wealth and poverty, emerging technology and existing economic, social and political structures take material form in cities. Global Urban Policy examines theoretical developments in public policy, urban policy, and urban studies to develop and present a framework for urban policy analysis.