Governing Cities

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xi

   PDF

2. Questions About Cities

   • Madeleine Pill

   Pages 1-7

3. What Is a City and Why Do They Matter?

   • Madeleine Pill

   Pages 9-27

4. How and by Whom Are Cities Governed?

   • Madeleine Pill

   Pages 29-52

5. What Policies and Strategies Arise?

   • Madeleine Pill

   Pages 53-81

6. What Happens at Different Scales?

   • Madeleine Pill

   Pages 83-116

7. What Are Citizens Doing?

   • Madeleine Pill

   Pages 117-143

8. Futures for Governing Cities

   • Madeleine Pill

   Pages 145-157

9. Back Matter

   Pages 159-183

   PDF

In our urban world, cities are where most of us experience how our economies and societies are organised and the inequalities which result. 


This textbook introduces ideas, theories, concepts and examples to help us understand the political and policy challenges of governing cities, centred on the principal challenge of how to make our cities more equitable. It poses critical questions – about how cities are governed, by whom, according to what values, and for whom – and draws from a wide range of urban scholarship. The ‘how’ covers urban politics and the policy instruments which result. The ‘by whom’ addresses power relations within and beyond the city and the tensions between different priorities and values. The ‘for whom’ centres equity and the role of citizens and collective action in how we are governed. 


In addressing these questions, the book provides an overview of the core theories of urban politics and governance, thinks about what happens at different scales, and examines new forms of citizen activism which herald alternatives for cities. It is a unique introduction to students, policymakers and practitioners who want to understand and seek to improve urban politics and policy.

• citizen action
• public policy
• environment
• geography
• governance
• urban studies
• human geography
• urban politics
• urban social change
• urban inequality
• equitable cities
• community engagement
• collective governance
• urban policy

“This is not just another public policy textbook. Governing Cities is an exploration of theory and practice. The reader is invited to consider how to understand politics and policymaking in relation to cities and how to improve them both. As such, it presents an ambitious discussion of the history, role, and governance of cities, which informs how to engage in urban politics to address the future of cities in relation to crises such as climate change and pandemics. It is a great example of how to make the study of policy jump off the page into real life.” 

(Paul Cairney, University of Stirling, UK)






“This is the book so many of us critically-minded urbanists have been waiting for! A clear, comprehensive, and refreshingly critical introduction to the governance of cities, urbanism, and the possibilities of equitable and just urban social change. Completely accessible to undergraduate students, yet analyticallysophisticated and in-depth enough to also serve as a foundational text for graduate students.  Although written by a UK-based scholar with extensive experience in Australia, its scope and approach is remarkably broad.  Pill’s keen understanding of American cities and public policy shapes much of the presentation, making it ideal for courses on US cities as well.” 


(David Imbroscio, University of Louisville, USA)


​“In weaving critical and comparative perspectives throughout a very lively and accessible exploration of urban governance and policy, Madeleine Pill’s book is a significant achievement. It will reward students at all levels for years to come, especially those who study cities for their political vibrancy and transformative potential.”- Professor Jonathan Davies, De Montfort University, UK




“Governing Cities provides students across planning, public policy, politics and geography the conceptual tools to understand how cities are governed, and how they could be governed in more equitable, democratic and citizen-centred ways. Its use of historical and contemporary examples from a diverse set of countries means that it will become foundational for urban studies teaching and learning worldwide.”
- Professor Robyn Dowling, University of Sydney, Australia

• Department of Urban Studies & Planning, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK

  Madeleine Pill

Madeleine Pill is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at the University of Sheffield, UK.  Her research and teaching, conducted in the UK, US and Australia, focus on equitable change in the state-society relationships of urban governance.

Policies and ethics