In a time of political upheaval around the world, many jurisdictions are making changes to how they govern their cities in an attempt to redistribute (or appear to redistribute) power within those cities. Such changes can occur at a range of scales, with various aims, explicit or implicit. The UK is one such place, having experienced a particularly rapid series of changes over the last 10 years, at every scale from the national to the community levels. This book provides, for the first time, comprehensive analysis of this period, looking in detail at the UK but situated within the broader inte ... More

In a time of political upheaval around the world, many jurisdictions are making changes to how they govern their cities in an attempt to redistribute (or appear to redistribute) power within those cities. Such changes can occur at a range of scales, with various aims, explicit or implicit. The UK is one such place, having experienced a particularly rapid series of changes over the last 10 years, at every scale from the national to the community levels. This book provides, for the first time, comprehensive analysis of this period, looking in detail at the UK but situated within the broader international context. The book looks in turn at each tier of government/governance, from the national to the community, analysing from top-to-bottom the outcomes of a decade’s worth of reform, explicitly considering whether they can be said to be progressive in nature. The book interrogates the results of changes to governance practices as a means to explore the extent to which power is genuinely being redistributed and spatial inequalities are being addressed. It draws on recent work of the authors and others to explore these issues primarily in the UK, but using international examples to highlight commonalities, suggest ways in which the UK can learn from elsewhere, and, where they can be identified, likewise identify lessons for other places.