During the past 25 years the burden of managing economic policy for competitiveness has devolved to cities and to urban regions. National governments have increasingly been focused on staving off fiscal collapse. This book explores this evolving role of cities and urban regions.

1. Introduction to the Issue of Urban Competitiveness 2. Challenges to Cities in the Foreseeable Future 3. The Analysis of Urban Competitiveness 4. The City in its Context 5. Economic Analysis of the Options for the City 6. Case Studies of Successful and Unsuccessful Competitiveness Enhancement 7. The Competitiveness of US Cities 8. The Competitiveness of Northern EU Cities 9. The Competitiveness of Mediterranean EU Cities 10. Summary and Conclusions

Peter Kresl is Charles P. Vaughan Professor of Economics Emeritus, Bucknell University, USA.

Daniele Ietri is assistant professor of Geography at eCampus University, Italy, and senior consultant at hep-business e persone, Milan, Italy.