Co-Cities: Reconceiving the City, the Commons, and New Governance Theory

Abstract

Co-Cities by Sheila Foster and Christian Iaione (MIT Press, 2022) is a tour de force. They provide a rigorous empirical analysis of more than 200 global cities, and over 500 case studies within those metropolises, to reconceptualize “the city” for the contemporary age. (p. 24) While many scholars theorize or hypothesize “the city,” Foster and Iaione use surveys, qualitative interviews, detailed case studies, fieldwork, and geo mapping to derive a new and informed urban governance theory. Co-Cities evidences the value of a law and society approach to urban studies.

I highlight three unique contributions Co-Cities makes to our conception of the city, the commons, and new governance theory. I conclude by identifying a few areas that may serve as the basis for future research.