Urban Affairs: Back on the Policy Agenda

Paul G. Thomas is the Duff Roblin Professor of Government at the
University of Manitoba, the author of Parliamentary Reform Through
Political Parties, and the coauthor of Canadian Public Administration:
Problematical Perspectives.

This edited collection of 16 chapters features many of the leading
Canadian academic experts and practitioners in the field of Canadian
urban policy.

All the contributions were written specifically for this volume and
many are based on original research findings. Not all the topics covered
are the conventional ones in the urban studies field. Two chapters focus
on women in local government; another two chapters examine the Toronto
megacity merger; other chapters cover immigration, Aboriginals,
inner-city decline, the health of local democracy, and the place of
urban issues on the overall public policy agenda. The editors contribute
a thoughtful introduction that seeks to link the broad themes covered in
the volume. Trends in provincial laws granting cities and municipalities
more autonomy and the role of local bureaucracies (especially their
senior managers) in the policy process are two topics that might have
warranted inclusion.