Cities Matter

A Montrealer’s Ode to Jane Jacobs, Economist

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Why do cities exist? Can’t we find better ways of organizing life on earth? With the climate crisis and other environmental issues, are cities part of the problem? Or can they help solve the problems of our time?

Cities Matter answers those questions and more.

Jane Jacobs is known mainly as a thinker of all things urban. That she was. But Ramsay insists that she was also a very important—and much underestimated—economist. Jacobs innovated particularly on how cities drive the development of nations and international trade.

Ramsay has delved into Jacobs’ work and extracted the features of her economic thought. Presenting them in a palatable and concise format, he has also brought to bear classical economic geography along with Alfred Marshall’s economies of agglomeration.

Jane Jacobs was also very pragmatic. Borrowing from her approach, Ramsay proposes real-life exercises for people wishing to compare suburban and urban living conditions, real estate investments, or for businesses doing transport-cost analysis.

Some predict that the Covid crisis combined with high tech means urban life is doomed, that the bucolic periphery will triumph over big messy cities.

That’s not going to happen, says Ramsay.

Contributors

Charles-Albert Ramsay

Charles-Albert Ramsay is a Montreal economist and teacher with an MA in Economics from the Université de Sherbrooke. As a journalist, he has reported on new business projects in cities throughout Canada and internationally. Specializing in innovation and urban economics, he has taught economics at Dawson College and Kiuna Institution in Quebec.
Chapter Contributors Pages Year Price
6 $0.60
Chapter 1 examines the theory of economic agglomeration, topics discussed include “economies of scale,” types of economies of agglomeration (Shared pool of labour, Input sharing, …
10 $1.00
Chapter 2 explores transportation networks and hub cities, discussing topics including networks, ‘Transport Cost’ theory, and more.
6 $0.60
Chapter 3 examines urban land value, discussing topics including land value, the choice between urban, suburban or rural, types of buildings such as office towers, apartment buildings, rental …
10 $1.00
Chapter 4 focuses on Jane Jacobs’ theory of import replacement, discussing local markets, variety, the example of Quebec and Québécois language and cultural preferences as an …
16 $1.60
Chapter 5 examines the weaknesses of cities. The chapter focuses on exploring the built-in instabilities of cities such as congestion, pollution, crime, labour reducing process innovations, …
7 $0.70
Chapter 6 explores the political and economic environments cities have to compete within their larger political structures, such as nation-states, federations, or confederations. It explores …
11 $1.10
Chapter 7 Economic literature now uses the term Jacobs’ agglomeration, and the term “forward city” is original to this text. The chapter describes “Jacobs …
6 $0.60
Chapter 8 focuses on how urban growth impacts surrounding areas, discussing impact on rural areas, industrial diversity, the value of land to build factories, houses for workers and their …
4 $0.40
Chapter 9 examines entrepot cities, which are cities that serve as warehouses to export product from a nearby supply region as it is waiting to be transported to other markets. It discusses …
6 $0.60
Chapter 10 explores supply regions also know as resource economies, which are areas that are endowed with highly demanded natural resources and exploited as such. This chapter discusses the …
5 $0.50
Chapter 11 describes how transplant regions are brought to life by the transfer of work from a congested city to a lower-cost production area. The chapter explores their relationship with supply …
5 $0.50
Chapter 12 focuses on cities dubbed “backward,” calling them a category of Backward Cities and exploring how they can evolve into a more forward economy. This chapter discusses topics …
6 $0.60
Chapter 13 examines Jacobs’ agglomerations and its relationship to innovations, discussing topics such as Schumpeter’s theory of Creative Destruction, urban innovation, and the role …
7 $0.70
Chapter 14 explores Jacobs’ theory of diversity as the most important feature for thriving cities and urban economies. The chapter discusses topics including macroeconomics, economic …
8 $0.80
Chapter 15 reflects on the future of the city of Montreal, exploring topics including the history of Montreal, Jacobs’ opinion on Montreal, comparison to Boston, the challenges of being a …
24 $2.40
The conclusion reflects on COVID-19’s impact on cities, urban anxiety, healthy cities, and what kind of society we want to live in.
6 $0.60