BOOK REVIEW

Regional Capitals; past, present, prospects, P. Kooy and P. Pellenbarg (eds.) (1994) Assen: Van Gorcum. ISBN 90 - 232 - 2655 - 0 (bound), Dfl. 49,50 This book describes six regional capitals in the past, the present, and the future. The starting point for the selection of the six cities is the Dutch city of Groningen. The reason for this choice was the 950th anniversary of the city of Groningen in 1990. On that occasion, a conference was held in which the past, present, and future socioeconomic development of Groningen was compared with the development of five other European cities. For the sake of comparison, cities were chosen which are "the centre of a rather large agrarian hinterland. Besides that, the presence of a university was also required ..." (p. 256). Although the preface to the book states otherwise, size was not a selection criterion. Eventually, besides Groningen, Ghent (B), Miinster (D), Norwich (GB), Odense (DK), and Rennes (F) were chosen. This set of case studies is preceded and followed by theoretical chapters. In an introductory chapter, Lambooy addresses the purpose of comparing capitals. He is in search of a "tool theory" which should have an analytical function and at the same time should be useful for policy. The author makes a plea for analyzing and comparing what he calls the "configurations" of capitals. These configurations are structured sets of attributes. In relation to the policy aspect, he stresses the development of capitals due to external spatial frameworks. After this introduction, the six capitals are discussed from a "historical" and "modern-structure" perspective. Also the future trends of the capitals are highlighted. I will not discuss the precise content of the case studies themselves. All take the same approach, providing more or less detailed information on specific causes and effects of the rise and fall of the capitals and their region. In addition, some other common characteristics frequently return in the chapters. The first of these is the positioning of the capitals within the European urban system, mostly referred to as the DATAR banana. A map of this system even appears twice (p. 188 and p. 255). In the same vein, many chapters stress city marketing and "urban revitalization" by means of the acquisition of knowledge-based and recreational activities. This emphasis, however,

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leads to the neglect of urban problems like the dual economy and of territorially basedplanning. Paradoxical in this latter mentioned perspective is a third common feature of the chapters: the attention paid to the role of universities in providing employment a n d as a spearhead for regional innovation. A fourth feature is that no reference is made to the theory of regional and urban growth. Particularly the historical chapters lack theoretical underpinning. Of course, this not detract from their value; it only indicates missed chances. For example, the relationship of industrialization to selective poverty, as indicated by the interesting historical chapter on Ghent, could have been elaborated. The same applies to the processes of regional accumulation, often noted in the book. One of the authors (Townroe) writes that "an exchange of experience with regional capitals in other West European nations can be extremely valuable" (p. 149). One can agree with that. But how is this exchange to be achieved and for what purpose? The editors of this book chose a conventional approach: a theoretical introduction, descriptions of six "regional capitals", and a concluding "final remarks" chapter. Because of this "bottom-up approach" and the use of ex-post frameworks, the exchange of experience is left largely to the reader. Although some interesting chapters are in the book - and also some very boring ones - the reader is not offerred a learning or evaluative framework. This is disappointing, particularly because starting-points for comparative research are provided in some chapters. In this respect, the well-written historical chapter on Norwich by Corfield should be mentioned. Let me give some examples from that chapter. Many of the regional capitals have seen a rise and fall of economic activities (e.g. the textile industry). An important question for comparative research could be whether regional capitals show greater urban longevity "because their roles draw upon deep regional patterns of social and economic organisation" (p. 143). And to what extent did regional capitals stay "regional" because of "divide and rule" practices of national decision-makers who felt the potential challenge of local powers? Another possible starting point for comparison is the influence of regional languages or dialects on the functioning and development of a regional capital. In other words, are there common economic, political, and cultural frameworks present in the six regional capitals? My basic concern is precisely on this point: the absence of a framework for comparison. Why are the theoretical remarks of the introductory chapter nowhere reiterated? In a sense, the book is a relapse into traditional geography. Of course, those who visit one of these cities might fred useful background information in the case studies. One hopes that this book is only a first attempt to start a promising branch of international comparative spatial research. The concluding chapter clearly gives openings for continuing such an effort.

Lambert van der Laan

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Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands