Urban areas represent an important part of the national economy and feature higher GDP per capita and productivity levels than their country’s average. But they also harbour large pockets of unemployment and poverty and suffer from problems such as congestion, pollution and crime. This book...

Containing sprawl is a major preoccupation of many urban planners, who view sprawl as responsible for driving up environmental costs and congestion. Nevertheless, many economists see benefits to sprawl, allowing households access to larger and cheaper properties. This Round Table examines the...

The Greater Helsinki Region emerged from the 1990s as an internationally competitive economy. This review examines the factors contributing to this success and the new development challenges it has created. One critical policy question is the Finnish dependence on the telecom/mobile industry....

This OECD Territorial Review examines how Seoul – a city of 10.3 million people at the core of a capital region of 22.5 million people – is striving to upgrade its positioning from a gigantic national capital towards a 'world city' and a business hub in Northeast Asia. This quest for...

The Italian city of Cattolica has developed an urban complex, the Piazza della Repubblica, providing a wide range of services to the public. In renovated facilities, the complex provides a modern and rational architectural setting based on the idea of the traditional town square or "piazza", an...