Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Oecd

Redefining ""urban"": a New Way to Measure Metropolitan Areas Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Oecd

This report compares urbanisation trends in OECD countries on the basis of a newly defined OECD methodology which enables cross-country comparison of the socio-econimic and environmental performance of metropolitan areas in OECD countries. The methodology is presented and results from its application to 27 OECD countries are discussed together with policy implication both on national growth and governance of cities. The report also includes three original papers that present the urbanisation dynamics and prospects in China and South Africa and the governance challenges resulting from the new policy agenda on cities in the United Kingdom.

Table of Content :

Readers guide
-Acronyms and abbreviations
-Glossary
Executive summary
Chapter 1.Redefining urban areas in OECD countries
-Introduction
-Methodology
-A description of urban systems in OECD countries based on the new methodology
-Conclusions
-Bibliography
Chapter 2.Urbanisation and migration trends in South Africa: theory and policy implications
-The differential urbanisation concept
-Cycles of differential urbanisation
-Revisiting differential urbanisation in South Africa7
-The link between functional space in South Africa and European classifications of regions
-Conclusions
-Bibliography
-Annex 2. A.Adapting OECD urban definition to South Africa: Issues and data needs
Chapter 3.Urbanisation in China today
-Background
-Urban structure and definition for urban population
-Overview of urbanisation in China
-Spatial distribution of urban population and general trends
-Prospects for urbanisation
-Bibliography
Annex 3. A Adapting OECD urban definition to South Africa: Issues and data needs
Chapter 4.Focusing on functionality: changing approaches to economic development in England
-Introduction
-The shift to localism
-The rationale for change
-The wider context for localism: UK regional economic performance
-Performance of urban areas
-The role of places in sub-national economic governance
-Performance measurement of functional economic geographies
-Looking beyond local functional economic areas
-Conclusions
-Bibliography