- Hardcover: 272 pages
- Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd (April 14 2008)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0002008831
- ISBN-13: 978-0002008839
- Product Dimensions: 22.6 x 15 x 2.5 cm
- Shipping Weight: 431 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #326,698 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Review
“Alan Broadbent, entrepreneur and philanthropist, has made a brilliant discovery: The land of moose, mountains and Mounties also has cities. Big cities. Diverse cities. Creative cities. The engines of our knowledge economy. The places where three quarters of us choose to live and work. But guess what? Cities have the governance sovereignty of small children in a patriarchal family. It’s time, says Broadbent, that Canada woke up and stopped starving the geese that are laying the golden eggs. It is time to provide our great cities with the powers and fiscal resources to do their jobs properly. If we do not, the entire nation will suffer.” -- Michael Adams, author of Fire and Ice: The United States, Canada and the Myth of Converging Values
Book Description
Alan Broadbent has a plan to maximize our economy and our cultural and social structure, as well as reconnect us to our government and nationhood. He says that first we have to recognize our slavish devotion to a constitutional structure and a government that is both blindly neglectful and ignorant of how crucial our large cities are to our national prosperity and well-being. We also have to recognize the two major forces that have changed the face of Canada: urbanization and immigration. Then, we must figure out how we can use these forces to our advantage.
The smart solution to these challenges, Broadbent says in Urban Nation, is to give cities an equal seat alongside their federal and provincial counterparts at the governing table. Why? City-level government is the body citizens encounter most regularly and the one that most influences their lives. Cities generate a disproportionate amount of the country's wealth and are home to the vast majority of Canada's populace, yet they are hamstrung by a lack of financial and governing clout with which to exercise any real control of their destinies. The result is crumbling cities and disaffected residents who quickly realize municipal government - or any government for that matter - cannot or will not listen to them.
In a thoughtful, provocative book that is sure to ignite controversy and fuel discussion among politicians and pundits, Broadbent makes a clear case for creating cities as a powerful order of government. He looks at American and European models; he examines the now ubiquitous "New Deal for Cities"; and he shows how citizens and action groups are coming together for practical urban reform solutions. Urban Nation is an essential new book for all Canadians concerned about their cities - and their country's future.
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
About time!,
By
This review is from: Urban Nation (Hardcover)
The discussion of cities and their lack of funding and what the implications are to Canada is largely unknown. Alan is able in 'easy read' provide a comprehensive review of this happened in the first place, the surrounding politics and even offer some doable solutions. This discussion, to date, has largely been academic or at the senior level of municipal administrations. TAX PAYERS across Canada need to understand and need to advocate change!
1 of 4 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Value in Numbers,
By
This review is from: Last Stop Sunnyside (Paperback)
This is an exceptional fiction novel that displays leadership and community building. Capponi does an amazing job at illustrating the value of an individual regardless of their social status. The language used in the book paints a great picture of real-life experiences connecting you then with the characters involved. I couldn't put it down, very suspensful plot. Loved that it was set in my home, Toronto. The story is a remarkable example of power and authorities and how that can be challenged as well. :)
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