Research in Urban Sociology

ISSN: 1047-0042

Editor: Dr Ray Hutchison
Subject: Sociology and Public Policy (view other series in this subject area)
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Aims & Scope

The series addresses key themes within urban sociology including ethnic and minority groups within the city; social network of urban residents; location of retail and industrial activities within the metropolitan complex; suburban lifestyles and the core question of community integration itself.

New Volume Published

Volume 13: Urban Megaprojects. A Worldwide View
Editor: Gerardo del Cerro Santamaría (The Cooper Union)
ISBN: 9781781905937
Publication date: 11th June 2013
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This book aims to understand the causes and consequences of new scales and forms of territorial restructuring in a steadily globalizing world by focusing on urban megaproject development. Contributions focus on the principal actors, institutions, and innovations that drive capitalist globalization, socio-economic and territorial restructuring, and global city formation by exploring the architectural design, planning, management, financing and impacts of urban megaprojects as well as their various socio-economic, political and cultural contexts. This is the first work on urban megaprojects to be global in scope.It is also the first work on the subject to include contributions from sociologists, planners, geographers and architects from top universities around the world, thus making it a truly multidisciplinary project.

Authors: Judit Bodnar (Central European University), Tim Bunnell (National University of Singapore), Diane E. Davis (Harvard University), Gerardo del Cerro Santamaría (volume editor, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art), Onésimo Flores Dewey (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Monika Grubbauer (Technische Universität Darmstadt), Yu Min Joo (National University of Singapore), Bruno Lobo (Columbia University), Alexandra Miller (Harvard University), Johannes Novy (Technische Universität Berlin), Deike Peters (Technische Universität Berlin), Davide Ponzini (Politecnico di Milano), Brent D. Ryan (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Leslie Sklair (London School of Economics), Judit Veres (Central European University)

About the Editor

Gerardo del Cerro Santamaria teaches at The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York City and has been a Visiting Professor in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at MIT. He has also taught at Skidmore College and the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Professor del Cerro Santamaría is the author of four books as well as several book chapters and journal articles on the political economy of globalized urbanization. He has also contributed influential publications in the fields of evaluation research and science, technology & society. His book "Bilbao. Basque Pathways to Globalization" (London: Elsevier,2007) is highly regarded as a seminal contribution to the field of globalized urbanization and “one of the more sophisticated studies of globalization available today” (Diane Davis, Harvard University). Professor del Cerro Santamaría has been invited to speak about his research by institutions in several countries and has consulted widely for organizations in the USA, Europe and Asia.

Reviews of Urban Megaprojects

Megaprojects are springing up throughout both the developed and developing world. Their popularity reflects the drive by political and economic elites to enhance urban competitiveness. Although the idea to construct very large urban complexes can be attributed to globalization, the particular political forces behind them, their urban contexts, and physical outcomes vary from place to place. In this fascinating compendium of case studies a range of authors from different disciplines delineate the forces shaping and resisting large-scale urban development in a variety of settings and place their empirical findings within the framework of urban theory. This book is essential reading for students of urban politics, planning, sociology, and geography.
Susan Fainstein, Senior Research Fellow, Harvard Graduate School of Design, and author, The Just City

The political embrace of city competition has combined with the globalization of banking, real estate, and architecture to make mega-projects seemingly inevitable. What better time, with the world economy slowed, to delve into the motivations for and consequences of the now-ubiquitous and globally-entrenched megaproject. Read this book to discover how the complexities and promises of this form of urban development have intrigued urban scholars and civic boosters alike.
Robert Beauregard, Professor of Urban Planning and Chair of the Urban Planning Doctoral Committee, Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, Columbia University

Urban Megaprojects: A Worldwide View is an excellent exposition of the so-called "megaprojects paradox": Megaprojects are increasingly used to build and transform cities, but megaprojects have a dismal track record of delivering on the promised benefits. The book's combination of global and local perspectives on megaprojects is highly effective for understanding the issues at hand.
Bent Flyvbjerg, Professor of Major Programme Management at Oxford University

Despite the increased presence, and associated impacts, of urban megaprojects in cities around the world, there is remarkably little written on the topic. There is a dearth of book-length treatments, in particular, about this phenomenon. This lacunae is all the more surprising given the myriad of impacts that urban megaprojects generate, and the value of using these spectacular urban spaces as a lens to make sense of the city. In this context, we are fortunate that Gerardo del Cerro Santamaría has pulled together a stellar group of urbanists to shed light on this phenomenon. Urban Megaprojects: A Worldwide View is just that – an intervention of global urban studies that is interdisciplinary in nature, one that deftly balances discussions of theory, empirics, and important policy matters. Kris Olds, Professor and Department Chair, Department of Geography, University of Wisconsin-Madison and author of Globalization and Urban Change: Capital, Culture, and Pacific Rim Mega-Projects

Recently Published

Volume 12:Urban Areas and Global Climate Change
Editor: William G. Holt (Birmingham-Southern College, AL, USA)
ISBN: 9781781900369
Publication date: 5 Oct 2012
View the online table of contents

Examining urban environmental issues at the macro, municipal level down to the micro community and individual level, this volume features cities and metropolitan regions across the global north and south. Topics include: the role of governing processes in sustainable cities; climate protection and the participation and engagement of citizens; urban vulnerability and adaptation to the health impacts of air pollution and climate extremes; global environmental changes and impacts on fishing activities.

Contact the Editorial Team

Series editor
Ray Hutchison
hutchr@uwgb.edu

Commissioning Editor
Cristina Irving
cirving@emeraldinsight.com

Assistant Commissioning Editor
Claire Swift
cswift@emeraldinsight.com

Volumes within this series

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