Book Reviews

Books reviewed: Bernard Jouve and Christian Lefèvre, (eds.) Villes, métropoles. Les nouveaux territoires du politique Sheridan Bartlett, Roger Hart, David Satterthwaite, Ximena de la Barra and Alfredo Missair, Cities for children: children's rights, poverty and urban management Daniel J. Monti Jr., The American city: a social & cultural history Andrew E.G. Jonas and David Wilson, (eds.) The urban growth machine: critical perspectives two decades later Dieter Dettke, (ed.) The challenges of globalization for Germany's social democracy: a political agenda for the 21st century Gösta Esping‐Andersen, Social foundations of postindustrial economies Michael Mortimore and William M. Adams Working the Sahel: environment and society in northern Nigeria> Stefan Hedlund, Russia's ‘market’ economy. A bad case of predatory capitalism Alexander Reichl, Reconstructing Times Square: politics and culture in urban development David Byrne, Social exclusion OECD, The response of higher education institutions to regional needs Felix Driver and David Gilbert, (eds.) Imperial cities: landscape, display and identity     

Book Reviews

Books reviewed: Jo Beall, Owen Crankshaw and Susan Parnell Uniting a Divided City — Governance and Social Exclusion in Johannesburg Patrick Le Galès European Cities: Social Conflicts and Governance Marcuse, P. and R. van Kempen Globalizing cities Meine Pieter Van Dijk, Marike Noordhoek and Emiel Wegelin (eds.) Governing Cities — New Institutional Forms in Developing Countries and Transitional Economies David Frisby Cityscapes of Modernity: Critical Explorations François Baraize and Emmanuel Négrier (eds.) L'Invention Politique de l'Agglomération Andrew Herod Labor Geographies: Workers and the Landscapes of Capitalism Umberto Janin‐Rivoli (ed.) Le Politiche Territoriali dell'Unione Europea. Esperienze, Analisi, Riflessioni David Ranney Global Decisions, Local Collisions: Urban Life in the New World Order     

Book Reviews

Books reviwed in this article: Marco d'Eramo 2002:, The Pig and the Skyscraper. Chicago: A History of Our Future. Winnie Lem and Belinda Leach 2002:, Cultures, Economy, Power: Anthropology as Critique, Anthropology as Praxis. John Eade and Christopher Mele (eds.) 2002:, Understanding the City: Contemporary and Future Perspectives. Jan Rath (ed.) 2002:, Unravelling the Rag Trade: Immigrant Entrepreneurship in Seven World Cities. Herman L. Boschken 2002:, Social Class, Politics, and Urban Markets: The Makings of Bias in Policy Outcomes. Agnés van Zanten 2001:, L'Ecole de la Périphérie. Scolarité et Ségrégation en Banlieue. Thomas Phillipp 2001:, Acre: The Rise and Fall of a Palestinian City, 1730–1831.     

SHORTER REVIEWS

Book reviewed in this article: Anselin, L. and R.J.G.M. Florax (eds.) 1995: New directions in spatial econometrics. Herbert, David T. (ed.) 1995: Heritage, tourism and society. Baldassare, Mark (ed.) 1994: The Los Angeles riots: lessons for the urban future. Wacquant, Loic J.D. (1994) The new urban color line: the state and the fate of the ghetto in postfordist America. In C. Calhoun (ed.), Social theory and the politics of identity Leresche, Jean-Philippe and René Levy (eds.) 1995: La Suisse et la coopération transfrontalière: repli ou redéploiement?     

Book Reviews

Graham Stephen and Simon Marvin, Telecommunications and the City: Electronic Spaces, Urban Places Van der Loop, Theo, Industrial Dynamics and Fragmented Labour Markets: Construction Firms and Labourers in India Théret, Bruno, L’état, la finance et le social: souveraineté nationale et construction européenne Bulmer, Martin and Anthony M. Rees (eds.), Citizenship Today. The Contemporary Relevance of T. H. Marshall     

Book Reviews

Books reviewed in this article: Ash Amin and Nigel Thrift, Cities: Reimagining the Urban Elizabeth Wilson, The Contradictions of Culture: Cities, Culture, Women Edmundo Werna, Combating Urban Inequalities: Challenges for Managing Cities in the Developing World Nicholas Low, Brendan Gleeson, Ingemar Elander and Rolf Lidskog, Consuming Cities: The Urban Environment in the Global Economy after the Rio Declaration Ian Borden, Joe Kerr and Jane Rendell, with Alicia Pivaro (eds.), The Unknown City: Contesting Architecture and Social Space Michaela Hordijk, Of Dreams and Deeds. The Role of Local Initiatives for Community Based Environmental Management in Lima, Peru     

Book Reviews

Simmie, James (ed.), Innovation, networks and learning regions? Benko, Georges and Ulf Strohmayer (eds.), Space and social theory. Interpreting modernity and postmodernity Borja, Jordi and Manuel Castells, Local and global: management of cities in the information age Harris, Richard, Unplanned suburbs. Toronto’s American tragedy, 1900–1960 and Hill, Patricia, Dallas: the making of a modern city Wit, Joop W. de, Poverty, policy and politics in Madras slums: dynamics of survival, gender and leadership     

Book Reviews

Books reviewed: Governa, Francesca, The Urban Milieu. Territorial Identity in Development Processes Leyshon, Andrew and Nigel Thrift, Money/Space: Geographies of Monetary Transformation Carr, Leslie G., ‘Color-blind’ Racism Noin, Daniel and Paul White, Paris Madanipour, Ali, Design of Urban Space: An Inquiry into a Socio-spatial Process Gugler, Josef (ed.), Cities in the Developing World: Issues, Theory and Policy Yeung, Yue-man and D. K. Y. Chu (eds.), Guangdong: Survey of a province undergoing Rapid Change Healey, Patsy, Abdul Khakee, Alain Motte and Barrie Needham, Making Strategic Spatial Plans. Innovation in Europe     

Bookshelf 2002

Books reviewed in this article: Bernhard Ebbinghaus and Jelle Visser Macmillan, Trade Unions in Western Europe since 1945 Andrew Martin and George Ross (eds), The Brave New World of European Labor: European Trade Unions at the Millennium G. Fajertag and P. Pochet (eds), Social Pacts in Europe–New Dyamics Roger Zegers de Beijl (ed.), Documenting Discrimination against Migrant Workers in the Labour Market: a Comparative Study of Four European Countries     

On the corner of diverse/reverse globalization: the third stage of global 'urban studies'

Books reviewed in this article: Peter Marcuse and Ronald van Kempen (eds.) 2000:, Globalizing Cities: A New Spatial Order? Peter Marcuse and Ronald van Kempen (eds.) 2002:, Of States and Cities: The Partitioning of Urban Space.     

Book Reviews

Books reviewed: Mike Douglass and John Friedmann, (eds.) Cities for citizens: planning and the rise of civil society in a global age Eric C. Schneider, Vampires, dragons and Egyptian kings: youth gangs in post‐war New York Erhard Berner, Defending a place in the city: localities and the struggle for urban land in Metro Manila Ali Madanipour, Tehran: the making of a metropolis Linda Tuhiwai‐Smith, Decolonizing methodologies: research and indigenous peoples Nicholas Low and Brendan Glee, Justice, society and nature: an exploration of political ecology Rosa Tsagarousianou, Damian Tambiniand and Cathy Bryan, (eds.) Cyberdemocracy: technology, cities and civic networks Maf Smith, John Whitelegg and Nick Williams, Greening the built environment Michael V. McGinnis, Bioregionalism Andrew Leyshon, David Matless and George Revill, (eds.) The place of music     

Book Reviews

Books reviewed: Louis Albrechts, Jeremy Alden and Artur de Rosa Pires, The changing institutional landscape of planning Robert Boyer and Yves Saillard (eds.), Regulation theory: the state of the art Neil Leach, The hieroglyphics of space: reading and experiencing the modern metropolis Ida Susser (ed.), The Castells reader on cities and social theory Martin Dangerfield, Subregional economic cooperation in Central and Eastern Europe – the political economy of CEFTA Richard Phillips, Diane Watts and David Shuttleton (eds.), De‐centring sexualities: politics and representations beyond the metropolis Michael Pacione,Urban geography: a global perspective     

Cities for nations? Examining the city–nation–state relation in Information Age Malaysia

Accounts of new forms of society and economy supported by advances in information and communications technology have both identified and fostered a belief in the growing importance of cities and urban–regions. Cities, indeed, would appear to be replacing nation–states as the dominant unit of economic organization and social identification. Yet conceptualizations in the existing literature are derived from a small number of supposedly paradigmatic urban cases. This article argues that urban and regional studies should be attentive to a diversity which is perhaps lost in the universalizing epochal phrase ‘Information Age’. The on–going development of the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC), a high–tech urban expansion of the Malaysian national capital, Kuala Lumpur, is used as a case study to (re)examine city–nation–state relations. Rather than presuming a substitution of ‘cities for nations’, the article identifies dimensions of reworked mutuality between the MSC city–region and the Malaysian nation–state. MSC urban development is shown to be: (1) an expression of re–scaled central (federal) state power; (2) a ‘national node’ for plugging Malaysia into the global information society; and (3) an exemplary space of high–tech Malaysian nationalism. These traits may have resonances elsewhere. However, the intention here is not to posit a set of generalized new city–nation–state mutualities, but rather to highlight the importance of exploration through specific urban–national cases. Les récits de nouvelles formes de société et d’économie facilitées par les progrès de la technologie de l’information et des communications ont à la fois instauré et renforcé une croyance en l’importance croissante des grandes villes et régions urbaines. Les villes remplaceraient mÁme les États–nations en tant qu’unités prédominantes de l’organisation économique et de l’identification sociale. Pourtant, les conceptualisations existantes sont tirées d’un petit nombre de cas urbains supposés typiques. Cet article affirme que les études urbaines et régionales devraient s’attacher à une diversité peut–Átre effacée par l’expression généralisatrice incontournable: l’ère de l’information. Le développement actuel du Super Corridor Multimédia (MSC), extension urbaine de la haute–technologie de la capitale de la Malaisie, Kuala Lumpur, sert d’étude de cas pour (ré)examiner les relations ville–État–nation. Au lieu de supposer une substitution des nations par les villes, l’article définit les dimensions d’une mutualité refaçonnée entre la ville MSC–région et l’État–nation malais. L’extension urbaine du MSC est présentée comme une expression redimensionnée de la puissance de l’État (fédéral) central, un ‘n?ud national’ permettant de connecter la Malaisie à la société d’information mondiale, et un espace caractéristique du nationalisme malais High–tech. Ce portrait peut trouver un écho ailleurs. Cependant, le but n’est pas ici de poser en principe un ensemble de nouvelles mutualités généralisées ville––État–nation, mais de souligner l’importance d’une exploration à travers des cas urbains–nationaux spécifiques.     

SHORTER REVIEWS

Book reviewed in this article: Featherstone, M. (ed.), 1990: Global culture: nationalism, globalization and modernity. Fine, B., 1990: The coal question: political economy and industrial change from the nineteenth century to the present day. Hebbert, M. and J.C. Hansen (eds), 1990: Unfamiliar territory: the reshaping of European geography. Lange, P. and M. Regini (eds), 1990: State, market and social regulation: new perspectives on Italy. Villasante, T., J. Alguacil, C. Denche, A. Hernández Aja, C. Leon and I. Velázquez, 1990: Retrato de chabolista con piso: análisis de redes sociales en la remodelación de barrios de Madrid. Watson, S. (ed.), 1989: Playing the state: Australian feminist interventions.     

Book reviews

Books reviewed in this article: Paul Osterman, Thomas A. Kochan, Richard Locke and Michael J. Piore, Working in America: A Blueprint for the New Labour Market Brian Towers and William Brown (eds.), Employment Relations in Great Britain: 25 years of the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service G. van Gyes, H. de Witte and P. Pasture (eds.), Can Class Still Unite? The Differentiated Work Force, Class Solidarity and Trade Unions Paul Smith, Unionization and Union Leadership: The Road Haulage Industry     

Hard‐branding the cultural city – from Prado to Prada

The industrial ‘Event City’, host to World Fair, sporting, cultural and ceremonial mega‐event, has been transformed in its late‐capitalist form into the ‘City as Event’– from the all year round festival city to the ubiquitous ‘Cities of Culture’. These self‐styled culture cities now look to the contemporary art museum and cultural district to provide a cosmopolitan edge to their promotional icons and associations, with Art now acknowledged as an ‘industry’. Cities worldwide, irrespective of their indigenous culture and heritage (e.g. Guggenheim Bilbao, Rio et al.), are thus emulating the brand reinforcement witnessed in leisure and entertainment products and themed experiences, which themselves have entered the retail environment as prime urban consumption spaces. The paper critiques this evolution of the city of culture and the branded art facility in terms of their form and function, arguing that form has followed regional funding, and that culture‐led regeneration and place‐making now mirrors the product branding of Nike and Sony, vying with them for consumer and political attention through the use of star architecture and retail strategies that belie their public good/realm and cultural distinctions. The cost of these flagships and cultural strategies, the paper concludes, is borne in terms of cultural diversity and production versus consumption and mediation; in community cultural activity and amenity; and by those who do not have a stake in the gentrification process which attaches to these globalized grands projets La ‘Ville de l'industrie de l'événement’ (accueillant Exposition universelle ou méga‐événement sportif, culturel ou commémoratif) est devenue sous sa dernière forme capitaliste la ‘Ville‐Evénement’– de la ville festivalière toute l'année, aux ‘Villes culturelles’ ubiquistes. Ces prétendues villes de culture comptent désormais sur le musée d'art contemporain et le quartier culturel pour fournir un atout cosmopolite à leurs associations et icônes promotionnelles, l'Art étant maintenant reconnu comme une ‘industrie’. A travers le monde, quels que soient leurs culture et héritage locaux (ex.: Guggenheim Bilbao, Rio et autres), des villes sont donc en train d'imiter la consolidation de marque appliquée aux produits de loisirs et réalisations thématiques, lesquels ont pénétré la sphère du commerce de détail comme principal espace de consommation urbain. L'article critique cette évolution de la ville culturelle et du lieu artistique ‘étiqueté’, dans la forme et la fonction, affirmant que la forme a suivi le financement régional, et que la régénération ou la fabrication de lieux par la culture reflète la stratégie de marque des produits Nike et Sony; en effet, ils rivalisent avec eux pour attirer consommateurs et politiques, en utilisant une architecture vedette et des stratégies de distribution qui désavouent leurs distinctions culturelles et leur domaine ou bien public. Pour conclure, ces produits vedettes et stratégies culturelles ont un coût en termes de diversié et production culturelles (opposées à consommation et intervention), en charme et activité culturelle de la communauté, coût payé par ceux qui n'ont pas part au processus d'embourgeoisement associéà ces ‘grands projets’ internationaux.     

Book Reviews

Books reviewed: William Brown, Simon Deakin, Maria Hudson, Cliff Pratten and Paul Ryan, The Individualization of Employment Contracts in Britain Lei Delsen and Eelke de JongThe German and Dutch Economies: Who Follows Whom? John P. Tuman and John T. Morris (eds.), Transforming the Latin American Automobile Industry: Unions, Workers and the Politics of Restructuring Theo NicholsThe Sociology of Industrial Injury Ian Proctor and Maureen PadfieldYoung Adult Women, Work and Family: Living a Contradiction Jack Barbash and Noah M. Meltz (eds.), Theorizing in Industrial Relations—Approaches and Applications     

Book Reviews

Books reviewed: Hugh Atkinson and Stuart Wilks‐Heeg Local government from Thatcher to Blair: the politics of creative autonomy Alistair Cole and Peter John Local governance in England and France Gertjan Dijkink and Hans Knippenberg (eds.) The territorial factor: political geography in a globalising world André Donzel Marseille: l'expérience de la cité John Dunning (ed.) Regions, globalization, and the knowledge based economy Jonathan Glancey Bread and circuses Brian Richards Future transport in cities Marco Buti, Daniele Franco and Lucio R. Pench (eds.) The welfare state in Europe: challenges and reforms Kenneth Kolson Big plans: the allure and folly of urban design Sako Musterd and Willem Salet (eds.) Amsterdam human capital Martin Kronauer Exklusion: Die Gefährdung des Sozialen im hochentwickelten Kapitalismus     

Geography as Interdisciplinary Pivot

Books reviewed in this article: Ronan Paddison (ed.), Handbook of urban studies Gary Bridge and Sophie Watson (eds.), A companion to the city Michael Dutton, Streetlife China Allen J. Scott (ed.), Global city–regions. Trends, theory, policy     

Book Reviews

Harvey, David, Justice, Nature & the Geography of Difference Jeffrey, Charlie, (ed.) The Regional Dimension of the European Union. Towards a Third Level in Europe? Keating, Michael and Jeffrey Loughlin (eds.)The Political Economy of Regionalism Le Galès, Patrick and Christian Lequesne, (eds.) Les Paradoxes des régions en Europe Grabner, Gernot and David Stark, (eds.) Restructuring networks in post-socialism. Legacies, linkages and localities Taylor, Ian, Karen Evans and Penny Fraser, A Tale of Two Cities: Global Change, Local Feeling and Everyday Life in the North of England. A Study in Manchester and Sheffield Caulfield, Jon and Linda Peake, (eds.) City Lives and City Forms. Critical Research and Canadian Urbanism Turnbull, Geoffrey K., Urban Consumer Theory Barringer, Herbert, Robert W. Gardner and Michael Levin Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States Hardy, Sally, Mark Hart, Albrechts Louis and Anastasios Katos An Enlarged Europe: Regions in Competition?