Research Agenda for Small and Medium-Sized Towns

Edited by Heike Mayer, Professor of Economic Geography, Institute of Geography and Center for Regional Economic Development, University of Bern, Switzerland and Michela Lazzeroni, Professor of Economic and Political Geography, University of Pisa, Italy

• Contents:1 Introduction to A Research Agenda for Small andMedium-Sized Towns 1Heike Mayer and Michela Lazzeroni2 Between urban and rural: socio-spatial identitiesin small and medium-sized towns 9Annett Steinführer3 Small and medium-sized towns: out of the darkagglomeration shadows and into the bright city lights? 23Evert Meijers and Martijn Burger4 Urbanisation, suburbanisation and territorialdevelopment: research issues for small andmedium-sized towns 39Christophe Demazière5 The resilience of small and medium-sized townsin times of crisis and recovery 57Michela Lazzeroni6 Innovation and entrepreneurship in small andmedium-sized towns 73Heike Mayer7 (Re)discovering the small and medium-sizedindustrial town and its development potential 87David Bole8 Cultural tourism as a tool for transformation insmall and medium-sized towns 105Chiara Rabbiosi and Dimitri Ioannides9 Digital and smart places: ensuring a rural fit intimes of urban-biased technological push 125Koen Salemink10 The important role of nature in planning for small cities 141Timothy Beatley11 Public policy and small and medium-sized towns 161David Kaufmann and Stefan Wittwer12 Agents of change in small and medium-sized towns 177Arnault Morisson13 The road ahead: advancing our research agendafor small and medium-sized towns in a world ofuneven development 193Heike Mayer and Michela LazzeroniIndex

‘I’m so excited about this book! Small towns have long been an understudied topic in geography, sociology, economics and other disciplines. This book is an important step forward as it moves beyond the case-study approach to consider broader implications of technology, culture, and sustainability in these places.’