Description
Book SynopsisBringing together transnational perspectives on urban narration, this innovative book analyses how a combination of tales, images and discourses are used to brand, market and (re-)make cities, focusing on the actors behind this and the conflicts of power that arise in defining and governing city futures.
Reflecting theoretically on the role of storytelling in urban contexts, an international range of leading scholars analyse how the re-making of cities is governed. Undertaking detailed empirical case studies across France, Hong Kong, the UK and the US, chapters provide comparative perspectives on a broad range of urban narratives, including alternative narratives within and across cities. Cases examined include the smart city of Hong Kong, the multi-city economy of England’s Northern Powerhouse, and resistance and resilience in Lyon and Pittsburgh. Ultimately, this insightful book underlines the importance of urban narratives in the government and governance of cities.
With global scope, this book will prove a valuable resource for students and scholars of urban affairs, politics, geography and public administration who are interested in narrative approaches, alongside various stakeholders and policy makers working in city governance.
Table of ContentsContents: 1 Introduction to the role of urban narratives: governing the (re)making of cities 1 Alistair Cole, Aisling Healy and Christelle Morel Journel 2 Confronting the Pittsburgh narrative: renaissance, renewal and the tension of authenticity 17 Sabina Deitrick and Michael R. Glass 3 Saint-Étienne: from the modest to the creative city or the ongoing search for a convincing urban narrative 31 Christelle Morel Journel and Georges Gay 4 Rescaling urban entrepreneurialism: England’s Northern Powerhouse as a multi-city economic narrative 48 Danny MacKinnon 5 ‘Braddock America’: building a narrative on a mayor’s charisma 64 Christelle Morel Journel and Aisling Healy 6 Socio-genesis of a private government: Greater Lyon’s narrative of the ‘metropolitan governance’ of economic development policies 82 Aisling Healy 7 The ‘Smart City’ between urban narrative and empty signifier: the case of Hong Kong 100 Alistair Cole, Calvin Lai Ming Tsun, Dionysios Stivas and Emilie Tran 8 “Witness to history”: narratives of resistance and resilience in Lyon and Pittsburgh 123 Dan Holland References 137 Index
