Consuming Cities

This book is about cities as engines of consumption of the world's environment, and the spread of policies to reduce their impact. It looks at these issues by examining the impact of the Rio Declaration and assesses the extent to which it has made a difference. Consuming Cities examines this impact using case studies from around the world including: the USA, Japan, Germany, the UK, China, India, Sweden, Poland, Australia and Indonesia The contributors all have direct experience of the urban environment and urban policies in the countries on which they write and offer an authoritative commentary which brings the urban 'consumption' dimension of sustainable development into focus.

This book is about cities as engines of consumption of the world's environment. It examines these issues through the impact of the Rio Declaration and assesses the extent to which it has made a difference.

This book is about cities as engines of consumption of the world's environment. It examines these issues through the impact of the Rio Declaration and assesses the extent to which it has made a difference.

This text investigates the mutual and dynamic relationship between urban development and consumption. It uses case studies and illustrations from North America, Europe and Asia.

Contemporary urban consumption touches the everyday lives of most citizens and permeates discussion of society and culture today. Consuming Cities looks at this topic from perspectives in both sociology and cultural theory, drawing together references from mainstream and also less obvious sources in both literatures. Each chapter includes a specific case of a city or aspect of consumption, ranging from a history of urban consumption, gambling to the consumption of culture and its place in tourism to the consumption palace of the cruise liner. This definitive and accessible book will be an invaluable resource to a wide range of students.

In Spaces for Consumption Steven Miles develops a penetrating critique of a key shift characterising the contemporary city. Theoretically informed, the other strength of the volume lies in the wealth of examples that are drawn upon to show how cities are becoming spaces for consumption, which has itself rapidly become a global phenomenon." - Ronan Paddison, University of Glasgow "This is a great book. Powerfully written and lucid, it provides a thorough introduction to concepts of consumption as they relate to the spaces of cities. The spaces themselves - the airports, the shopping malls, the museums and cultural quarters - are analysed in marvellous detail, and with a keen sense of historical precedent. And, refreshingly, Miles doesn't simply dismiss cultures of consumption out of hand, but shows how as consumers we are complicit in, and help define those cultures. His book makes a major contribution to our understanding of contemporary cities, but is accessible enough to appeal to any reader with an interest in this important area." - Richard Williams, Edinburgh University Spaces for Consumption offers an in-depth and sophisticated analysis of the processes that underpin the commodification of the city and explains the physical manifestation of consumerism as a way of life. Engaging directly with the social, economic and cultural processes that have resulted in our cities being defined through consumption this vibrant book clearly demonstrates the ways in which consumption has come to play a key role in the re-invention of the post-industrial city The book provides a critical understanding of how consumption redefines the consumers' relationship to place using empirical examples and case studies to bring the issues to life. It discusses many of the key spaces and arenas in which this redefinition occurs including: shopping themed space mega-events architecture Developing the notion of 'contrived communality' Steven Miles outlines the ways in which consumption, alongside the emergence of an increasingly individualized society, constructs a new kind of relationship with the public realm. Clear, sophisticated and dynamic this book will be essential reading for students and researchers alike in sociology, human geography, architecture, planning, marketing, leisure and tourism, cultural studies and urban studies.

Caught between the twin pressures of rising public expectations and falling resources, public services have become the subject of intense academic scrutiny and public debate. Much of this controversy has been fuelled by a growing realisation that where people live has an important influence upon their access to services. The so-called 'postcode lottery.' The first part of this book considers what is meant by the term 'collective consumption' and discusses the main differences between the British and American loyal government systems. It examines various geographical schools of analysis which focus on jurisdictional partitioning, locational efficiency, externalities and locational conflict. Subsequent chapters explore the relevance of public choice, neo-Weberian and neo-Marxist theories for an understanding of collective consumption. The final section looks at ways in which spatial perspectives can be linked with broader theoretical approaches in the context of modern developments. This book was first published in it's current form in 1985.