Why Cities? A Response.

• Autores: Richard A. Walker
• Localización: International journal of urban and regional research, ISSN 0309-1317, Vol. 40, Nº. 1, 2016, págs. 164-180
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Why do cities exist? Geographers Allen Scott and Michael Storper recently put the question before the field of urban studies and provided a clear and concise answer in terms of economies of agglomeration and the urban land nexus. I argue that two other basic elements must be added to this duo: the spatial concentration of economic surplus by ruling classes and states and the creation of a built environment or urban landscape. In addition, I take issue with Scott and Storper's neglect of the problem of scale in urban theory and their overly tidy sense of what constitutes a scientific approach to complex phenomena like cities.