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Competition within the European Urban System

Author

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  • W.F. Lever

    (Department of Social and Economic Research, Adam Smith Building, University of Glasgow, 40 Bute Gardens, Glasgow G12 8RT, UK)

Abstract

The diminishing importance of national frontiers in western Europe has intensified competition between cities for mobile investment, for the location of public institutions and for hallmark events. This has led to the creation of league tables of cities in which rankings are determined by single or multiple variables. Analyses of changes in rankings focus on whether there has been divergence or convergence amongst European cities. This paper uses data on 117 cities to suggest that there was convergence in 1981-84, followed by divergence in 1984-87. The paper goes on to test three hypotheses which relate urban economic growth to size or capital status, to location within the core or periphery, and location within northern or southern Europe. Overall it finds that capital cities grow more quickly, in economic terms; that the urban south is catching up with the urban north; and that, whilst the cities of the core did best before 1985, there is some evidence that 'crowding out' has relatively helped the cities of the periphery since 1985.

Suggested Citation

  • W.F. Lever, 1993. "Competition within the European Urban System," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 30(6), pages 935-948, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:30:y:1993:i:6:p:935-948
    DOI: 10.1080/00420989320080871
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Paul Cheshire, 1990. "Explaining the Recent Performance of the European Community's Major Urban Regions," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 27(3), pages 311-333, June.
    2. Paul Cheshire & Gianni Carbonaro & Dennis Hay, 1986. "Problems of Urban Decline and Growth in EEC Countries: Or Measuring Degrees of Elephantness," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 23(2), pages 131-149, April.
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    Cited by:

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    4. Metaxas, Theodore, 2013. "From city marketing to museum marketing and opposed," MPRA Paper 46968, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 2013.
    5. Chorianopoulos, Ioannis, 2000. "Urban Restructuring And Governance: North-South Differences In Europe And The Eu Urban Initiatives," ERSA conference papers ersa00p379, European Regional Science Association.
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    7. Pengfei Ni & Zheng Qiongjie, 2014. "Introduction," Chapters, in: Pengfei Ni & Zheng Qiongjie (ed.), Urban Competitiveness and Innovation, chapter 1, pages 1-6, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    8. Giuseppe Mazzeo, 2012. "Impact of high speed trains on the hierarchy of European cities," Review of Regional Research: Jahrbuch für Regionalwissenschaft, Springer;Gesellschaft für Regionalforschung (GfR), vol. 32(2), pages 159-173, September.

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