World city.
| Author | Nathan, Max |
| Position | Book review |
Doreen Massey
Polity Press, 2007
This is a big, frustrating, brilliantly written book about London's place in the world. It is also very well timed. The capital is gearing up for an epic Mayoral election and the 2012 Olympics. And politically, cities finally have some wind in their sails.
Labour's urban policy record has been patchy. An initial flurry of interest quickly died down. The Urban Task Force framed 'urban renaissance'; targets were agreed on neighbourhood renewal and regional growth. But regional government went nowhere. Livingstone returned as London Mayor under fire from the Government, and with freedoms severely curtailed. Blair focused his domestic agenda on public services, handed cities over to John Prescott and largely forgot about them. David Miliband developed interesting ideas, but was moved before seeing them through.
Gordon Brown's first few months days have seen a marked change in tone. Ministers recognise the economic role of towns and cities, and the difficulties many still face. The limits of top-down policymaking have become clearer. Devolution allows greater innovation and better long-term use of resources.
For progressives, place matters. Cities symbolise national success--and are sites of some key challenges. So making places work better is critical to meeting Labour's national aspirations. Now we need to take these insights forward. What are the right strategies to help urban places regenerate and thrive? What mix of freedoms, incentives and duties are needed? And which places should received greatest support from Whitehall?
World City approaches these big questions. It is a book about London, or rather 'what arises from London'. The capital is a classic 'world city'--dominated by finance and advanced services, plugged into worldwide networks and shaped by global flows of people, money and ideas. A cosmopolitan and tolerant city, it is also marked by economic and social divisions.
Massey looks at why London is the way it is, and what this means for the rest of Britain and the rest of the world. For her, London's success comes with significant costs. The capital is generally seen as 'successful but divided'--Ministers, the Mayor and business leaders present the city as a paradox. Massey argues that the paradox is false. The capital's 'neo-liberal' economic structure--open, dependent on high-value activities, with big premiums to skill and a punishing cost of living--is just what produces inequality. London is...
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