This major study, first published in 1989, examines Western Europe’s urban problems in unprecedented breadth and depth. It is a synthesis of research which had three main aims: to establish an informed view of the state of urban Europe in the most systematic and consistent way possible; to investigate document and analyse the various causes of urban problems; and to analyse general trends and similarities, as well as discovering what was local and particular. This book should prove invaluable to students, researchers and professionals concerned with urban affairs, whether they be geographers, planners, economists or policy-makers.

In this completely revised second edition, the authors explore what can be learned from a rigorous comparison of the patterns of urban concentrations of residents and employment in Western Europe and the United States. Using a wide range of methodological techniques, including economic theory, econometrics, regional science, and institutional historical analysis, the essays analyze the factors underlying urban economic development, with particular emphasis on the role and effectiveness of public policy.

Originally published in 1991, this book focusses on the philosophies, histories and processes which have made the West European city system rich in internal variety yet distinct from that of the rest of western industrialised urban society. It synthesizes international experiences in particular aspects of urban policy making, with reference to Germany, France and Benelux. The book covers urban planning in its broadest sense – from economic, socio-spacial, recreational, housing and transport perspectives.

A distinguished team of Western European scholars has written an advanced, full-length physical geography designed to be a state-of -the-art evaluation of the physical environment of Western Europe, being both retrospective and prospective in its perception of environmental change. The unique natural and regional environments of Western Europe are discussed, as well as the physical geographic framework of the region. Particular emphasis is placed on the impact and responses of human society on the physical environment of the region which is characterized by a very high population density. As an enhanced reference work it will be of enduring value.

This is Volume XII of thirteen in a collection on Urban and Regional Sociology. Originally published in 1951, this study gives a geographical interpretation of the Western European city and looks at the towns of central Sweden, towns in France, Switzerland, German and French cities, as well as capital cities Brussels, Vienna, Prague, Budapest, Warsaw, and Paris. A further section includes historic cities, medieval, renaissance and baroque to the growth of the modern urban area.

The contributors argue that some regions, such as Emilia-Romagna, Baden-Wurttemberg, and Rhone-Alpes, have been highly successful in launching regional development strategies. Others, such as the English and certain southern European regions lack the economic resources and institutional structures to follow these examples. The book analyses the reasons for success and failure, and considers the strategic development options open to the less developed European regions.

In recent years, European societies and territories have witnessed the spatial impacts of a severe financial and socio-economic crisis. This book builds on the current debate concerning how cities and urban regions and their citizens deal with the consequences of the recent financial and socio-economic crisis. Cities in Crisis examines the political and administrative implications of austerity measures applied in southern European cities. These include cuts in local public spending and the processes of privatization of local public assets, as well as issues related to the re-scaling, recentralization or decentralization of competencies. Attention is paid to the rise of new ‘austerity regimes’, the question of their legitimacy and their spatial manifestations, and in particular to the social consequences of austerity. The contributions to this book lay the foundation for recommendations on how to improve and consolidate qualified governance arrangements in order to better address rapid economic and social changes. Such recommendations are applicable to cities and urban regions both within and outside of Europe. It identifies possible approaches, tools and partnerships to tackle the effects of the crisis and to prepare European cities for future challenges.

Western Europe provides a balanced appraisal of common characteristics and shared problems of the eighteen states lying to the west of the former Iron Curtain.

First published in 1975, this book provides a straightforward examination of regional differences and regional development in the countries of Western Europe. Professor Clout divides this into two parts. The first examines a series of themes with reference to the whole of Western Europe, and the second part discusses regional development in individual countries or groups of countries. Contributions by experts from the UK and from mainland Europe present an essentially geographic approach, combining thematic and country-by-country discussions.

Since 1945 Europe has experienced many periods of turmoil and conflict and as many moments of peace and integration: from the devastation felt in the aftermath of World War II to the recovery in the 1950s and 1960s; to the new challenges in the 1970s and 1980s when neoliberal policies led to fundamental social and economic changes, marked by the effects of the oil shock and widespread unemployment; and then 1989 and after when the existing world order experienced new convulsions. In this brilliant and comprehensive work, the author, one of the best known social historians of Europe, discusses a wide range of subjects, not shying away from controversial topics: family structure, work, consumption, values, migration, inequality, elites, civil society, social movements, media, welfare state, education, and urban policies. He focuses on the fundamental changes European societies underwent in the second half of the twentieth century but also explores what divides Europeans, what unites them, and what sets them apart from the rest of the world. This major historical work will be an important and highly sought-after addition for library collections as well as an important volume for course adoptions.