ABSTRACT
The central argument in this book is that decline has replaced growth as the dominant direction of urban change in contemporary Britain. Whether measured in terms of depopulation, de-industrialization and job loss, or the changing structure and responsibilities of local government, the picture is the same: cities in recent years have lost much of their importance as centres of activity, power and influence in the space economy. A wide range of general explanations for this trend has been advanced in the literature but, as previous chapters have shown, the components of urban decline and the reasons for them are too many and varied to be encompassed by any single interpretation. The most useful perspective is to view decline as a consequence of long-term geographical redundancy. Cities quite simply have lost their locational appeal. Urban decline reflects the collective perception of individuals and entrepreneurs that cities are no longer the most attractive places in which to live and do business.
