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Conceptualising and Measuring Urban Competitiveness in Major English Cities: An Exploratory Approach

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  • Iain Deas

    (School of Planning and Landscape, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, England)

  • Benito Giordano

    (Centre for Urban Policy Studies, School of Geography, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, England)

Abstract

Recent years have witnessed considerable academic debate with regard to the ways in which urban competitiveness can best be conceptualised and measured. In this paper we draw on these theoretical discussions in an attempt to interrogate the dynamics of competitiveness. We report on research to develop indicators to explore the relationship between sources (the initial stock of assets in a city) and outcomes of competitiveness (the result of attempts to exploit these assets by firms) across a sample of urban areas. We argue that urban asset bases provide a strong predictor of competitive performance in English cities, but that this general pattern is interrupted by some cities for which competitive outcomes are stronger or weaker than might be expected in light of underlying asset bases. The study findings provide some tentative methodological suggestions, augmenting the limited volume of empirically focused work regarding the means by which different aspects of the contested concept of competitiveness might best be measured. The findings also illustrate the differing competitive fortunes of major English cities and provide pointers with regard to priorities for policymakers in moulding and managing urban asset bases.

Suggested Citation

  • Iain Deas & Benito Giordano, 2001. "Conceptualising and Measuring Urban Competitiveness in Major English Cities: An Exploratory Approach," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 33(8), pages 1411-1429, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envira:v:33:y:2001:i:8:p:1411-1429
    DOI: 10.1068/a33142
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Cecilia Wong, 1998. "Determining Factors for Local Economic Development: The Perception of Practitioners in the North West and Eastern Regions of the UK," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 32(8), pages 707-720.
    2. Allan Cochrane & Jamie Peck & Adam Tickell, 1996. "Manchester Plays Games: Exploring the Local Politics of Globalisation," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 33(8), pages 1319-1336, October.
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    Cited by:

    1. Tobias Ketterer & Andrés Rodríguez-Pose, 2015. "Local quality of government and voting with one’s feet," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 55(2), pages 501-532, December.
    2. Jianfa Shen, 2012. "Urban development and competitiveness in Hong Kong: opportunities and challenges of a changing relation with mainland China," Chapters, in: Peter Karl Kresl & Daniele Ietri (ed.), European Cities and Global Competitiveness, chapter 9, pages 151-167, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    3. Craig A. Talmage & Chad Frederick, 2019. "Quality of Life, Multimodality, and the Demise of the Autocentric Metropolis: A Multivariate Analysis of 148 Mid-Size U.S. Cities," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 141(1), pages 365-390, January.

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