Critical Dialogues of Urban Governance, Development and Activism : London and Toronto. / Susannah Bunce Nicola Livingstone, Loren March, Susan Moore, Alan Walks

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Cover -- Half Title -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Contents -- List of figures -- List of tables -- List of acronyms -- List of Contributors -- Acknowledgements -- Introduction: Critical dialogues of urban governance, development and activism in London and Toronto: -- Why Toronto and London? -- Critical dialogues as part of the comparative gesture -- Universities as part of the community of city builders -- Dialogic lenses of the comparative urban condition in Toronto and London -- Governance in the global city -- Real estate and housing -- Community, activism and engagement

Structure of the book -- References -- Part I Perspectives on governance: -- 1 Capital flows in the capital: Contemporary governmental imaginations in London's urban development: -- Introducing systematic ambiguities: Questioning the planning, politics and perceptions of London's real estate market -- Dominant representations of real estate developers and investors in planning -- Capital flows in London: Embedded knowledge, challenges and market trends -- Contemporary governmental imaginations and the realities of real estate in London: Narratives and the politics of crisis -- Conclusions

Acknowledgements -- References -- 2 The elusive, inclusive city: Toronto at a crossroads: -- Introduction -- Toronto: Canada's largest city -- A diverse regional economy -- A global tech 'superstar' city? -- Challenges facing Canada's largest city: Inequality and governance -- Piloting the possibilities for the inclusive city -- Increasing the supply and quality of affordable housing in Toronto -- Transport -- Economic development -- Realising the inclusive city? -- Notes -- References

3 Regulating property conditions in the private rented sector: The complex geography of property licensing in London: -- Introduction -- A brief overview of the PRS in England and in London -- The power imbalance between central and local government and its impacts on London -- The complex geography of licensing in London -- Conclusion -- Notes -- References -- 4 Metromobility and transit-led urbanisation in London and Toronto: -- Global regimes of metromobility -- Mobilising London as a global city -- Toronto -- Conclusion -- Notes -- References

5 The governance of urban public spaces in London: In the public interest or in the interest of local stakeholders?: -- Introduction -- The context: Declining public space budgets and increasingly diverse demands -- Assessing publicness -- Devolved publicness and stakeholders' rights -- Conclusions -- Notes -- References -- 6 London, its infrastructure and the logics of growth: -- London: Its infrastructure and 'megaproject ecology' -- HS2 -- Thames Tideway Tunnel -- Matching up to 'our Victorian forebears' -- Conclusion: The logics of growth -- Note -- References

7 Governing urbanisation in the global city: A commentary

Cities have been sites of some of the most visible manifestations of the evolution of processes of globalization and population expansion, and global cities are at the cutting edge of such changes. Critical Dialogues of Urban Governance, Development and Activism examines changes in governance, property development, urban politics and community activism, in two key global cities: London and Toronto. The analysis is inherently comparative, but not in the traditional sense - the volume does not seek to deliver a like-for-like comparison. Instead, taking these two cities as empirical cases, the chapters engage in constructive dialogues about the contested and variegated built forms, formal and informal governmental mechanisms and practices, and policy and community-based responses to contemporary urban concerns. The authors position a critical dialogue on three central issues in contemporary urban studies: governance, real estate and housing, and community activism and engagement. Their less traditional approach to comparative framing seeks to understand London and Toronto from a nuanced perspective, promoting critical reflection on the experiences and evaluative critiques of each urban context, providing insight into each city's urban trajectory and engaging critically with wider phenomena and influences on the urban governance challenges beyond these two cities.

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