Age of the City

Visionary Oxford professor Ian Goldin has spent decades researching the major challenges facing humanity - pandemics, climate change, inequality and loneliness. This book, the sequel to his seminal books Age of Discovery and Terra Incognita: 100 Maps to Survive the Next 100 Years , shows how the city - the ultimate symbol of human ingenuity - is where these battles will be won or lost. From centres of antiquity like Athens or Rome to modern metropolises like New York or Shanghai, our cities have shaped our past and will define our future. Our greatest achievements have originated in cities - the birth of democracy in Athens, the renaissance in Florence, the industrial revolution in Manchester, the digital revolution in Palo Alto. Making sense of our world, and our future, requires that we understand where cities are heading.Professor Ian Goldin has spent his career identifying the four main threats we face in order to build a sustainable future - the pandemics caused by our globalized world, the dizzying damage which will be done by climate change, the inequality which plagues future generations, and the loneliness which is symbolized by our retreat into the metaverse and online atomization.And cities, where we increasingly live, are at a crossroads. The choices they take will shape our destinies. For the first time in history, more than half the global population lives in cities. In the developing world, cities are growing at an extraordinary rate. More than ever, making our societies fairer, more cohesive, and sustainable starts with actions taken in the places where most of us live. He shows how cities started, the economic and human reasons they became so dominant, and how the megacities of the future must be used to tip the balance towards a sustainable and fulfilling future for us all.>

An insightful analysis.

Préface
An in-depth look at the major challenges facing humanity today and why the city - the ultimate symbol of human ingenuity - is where these battles will be won or lost.

Auteur

Ian Goldin is Professor of Development and Globalisation at the University of Oxford and former Vice President of the World Bank. Ian's recent publications include Rescue: From Global Crisis to a Better World (HC, 2021), Terra Incognita: 100 Maps to Survive the Next 100 Years (PRH, 2020), and Age of Discovery (Bloomsbury, 2016).

Tom Lee-Devlin is a writer at The Economist and co-host of the Money Talks podcast. He previously worked as a management consultant at Bain & Company and led research for the firm's global think tank, Bain Futures.

Texte du rabat

Visionary Oxford professor Ian Goldin and The Economist's Tom Lee-Devlin show why the city is where the battles of inequality, social division, pandemics and climate change must be faced. From centres of antiquity like Athens or Rome to modern metropolises like New York or Shanghai, cities throughout history have been the engines of human progress and the epicentres of our greatest achievements. Now, for the first time, more than half of humanity lives in cities, a share that continues to rise. In the developing world, cities are growing at a rate never seen before. In this book, Professor Goldin and Tom Lee-Devlin show why making our societies fairer, more cohesive and sustainable must start with our cities. Globalization and technological change have concentrated wealth into a small number of booming metropolises, leaving many smaller cities and towns behind and feeding populist resentment. Yet even within seemingly thriving cities like London or San Francisco, the gap between the haves and have-nots continues to widen and our retreat into online worlds tears away at our social fabric. Meanwhile, pandemics and climate change pose existential threats to our increasingly urban world. Professor Goldin and Tom Lee-Devlin combine the lessons of history with a deep understanding of the challenges confronting our world today to show why cities are at a crossroads - and hold our destinies in the balance.

Résumé
One of the Financial Times' Best Economics Books of 2023 Visionary Oxford professor Ian Goldin and The Economist's Tom Lee-Devlin show why the city is where the battles of inequality, social division, pandemics and climate change must be faced. From centres of antiquity like Athens or Rome to modern metropolises like New York or Shanghai, cities throughout history have been the engines of human progress and the epicentres of our greatest achievements. Now, for the first time, more than half of humanity lives in cities, a share that continues to rise. In the developing world, cities are growing at a rate never seen before. In this book, Professor Goldin and Tom Lee-Devlin show why making our societies fairer, more cohesive and sustainable must start with our cities. Globalization and technological change have concentrated wealth into a small number of booming metropolises, leaving many smaller cities and towns behind and feeding populist resentment. Yet even within seemingly thriving cities like London or San Francisco, the gap between the haves and have-nots continues to widen and our retreat into online worlds tears away at our social fabric. Meanwhile, pandemics and climate change pose existential threats to our increasingly urban world. Professor Goldin and Tom Lee-Devlin combine the lessons of history with a deep understanding of the challenges confronting our world today to show why cities are at a crossroads - and hold our destinies in the balance.

Contenu

List of Figures
Preface
1 Introduction
2 Engines of Progress
3 Levelling Up
4 Divided Cities
5 Remote Work: The Threat to Cities
6 Cities, Cyberspace, and the Future of Community
7 Beyond the Rich World
8 The Spectre of Disease
9 A Climate of Peril
10 Conclusion: Better Together
Acknowledgements
Notes
Bibliography