Researchers:
Prof. Roger Keil, Prof. Stefan Kipfer, Prof. Julie-Anne Boudreau (Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique), and Prof. Pierre Hamel (Universite de Montreal)
Urban regions have been confronted with new challenges due to globalization and neoliberalization as they are often perceived as the centres of the world economy. We propose a comparative investigation of the globally-induced transformation of metropolitan governance systems in two of Canada's most important city-regions (Toronto and Montreal) and two metropolitan regions in Western Europe (Paris and Frankfurt). The research will consist of qualitative questionnaires, open-ended interviews, newspaper content analysis, two research workshops and document study.
The primary objective of the research is to broaden and deepen our understanding of regional governance through an innovative comparative project: 1. The crossing of several boundaries of political cultures (Ontario/Quebec; France; Germany); 2; the engagement with Anglo-American, French and German literatures on the subject of regional governance and the investigation of respective case studies; 3. The broadening of the comparative angle from issues of economic competitiveness and social cohesion to four specific, topical and relevant fields of policy, politics and governance in metropolitan regions; 4. The expansion of comparative work on municipal governance to regional governance.
The focus of this collaborative, international, comparative research project, is the urban region with its growing web of metropolitan governance. The emergence of collective action at the metropolitan level in Canada and Europe will be examined through infrastructure, public health, green space, and human security.
The results of the research will be disseminated through topical articles in academic journals. The European workshop with the collaborators will result in a state of the art assessment of comparative governance research in the form of an edited book. The four co-applicants will synthesize their findings in a monograph. Conference presentations at scholarly meetings will succinctly summarize the research project's findings.
The following is a list of presentations and publications that are related to the project or have resulted from this research:
Macdonald, Sara and Keil, Roger (2012). The Ontario Greenbelt: Shifting the Scales of the Sustainability Fix? The Professional Geographer. 64(2) 2012, pages 1–21
Roger Keil
Internalized globalization and resilience in urban regions: Lessons from Frankfurt and Toronto
Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting
Washington D.C.
April 15, 2010
abstract
Pierre Hamel
Metropolitan Governance and the Requirements of Deliberative Democracy
UAA 40th Annual Meeting
Honolulu, Hawaii
Sheraton Waikiki Hotel
March 10-13, 2010
abstract
Pierre Hamel
Territorial Rescaling: Promises From Metropolitan Governance, Roundtable: What Do We Know About Territorial Rescaling, How Do We Know It and Why Should We Study It: Perspectives From The United States and Canada
105th American Political Science Association Annual Meeting
Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto
September 3-6, 2009
Roger Keil
The Global City Comes Home: Frankfurt Politics Turns in on Itself
Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting
Las Vegas, Nevada
March 23, 2009
This project has been made possible through a financial contribution from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. The views expressed do not necessarily represent the views of the Government of Canada.
