How can small cities make an impact in a globalizing world dominated by ‘world cities’ and urban development strategies aimed at increasing agglomeration? This book addresses the challenges of smaller cities trying to put themselves on the map, attract resources and initiate development. Placemaking has become an important tool for driving urban development that is sensitive to the needs of communities. This volume examines the development of creative placemaking practices that can help to link small cities to external networks, stimulate collaboration and help them make the most of the opportunities presented by the knowledge economy. The authors argue that the adoption of more strategic, holistic placemaking strategies that engage all stakeholders can be a successful alternative to copying bigger places. Drawing on a range of examples from around the world, they analyse small city development strategies and identify key success factors. This book focuses on the case of ‘s-Hertogenbosch, a small Dutch city that used cultural programming to link itself to global networks and stimulate economic, cultural, social and creative development. It advocates the use of cultural programming strategies as a more flexible alternative to traditional top-down planning approaches and as a means of avoiding copying the big city. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

Microfinancing is considered one of the most effective strategies in the fight against global poverty. And now, in Small Loans, Big Changes, author Alex Counts reveals how Nobel Prize Winner Muhammad Yunus revolutionized global antipoverty efforts through the development of this approach. This book presents compelling stories of women benefiting from Yunus’s microcredit in rural Bangladesh and urban Chicago, and recounts the experiences of different borrowers in each country, interspersing them with stories of Yunus, his colleagues, and their counterparts in Chicago.

This is an open access title available under the terms of a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 License. It is free to read, download and share on Elgaronline.com. Exploring current debates on the topic, this book maps out an agenda for theory, research and practice about the role and function of small and medium-sized towns in various contexts and at different territorial scales. Chapters highlight new insights and approaches to studying small and medium-sized towns, moving beyond the ‘urban bias’ to provide nuanced thought on these spaces both in terms of their relation to larger cities, and in terms of implications related to their size.

Tourism can be a challenging subject for students because it is both dynamic and susceptible to economic turbulence and shifts in trends. Tourism: A Modern Synthesis is an essential textbook for tourism students seeking a clear and comprehensive introduction to their studies that addresses these challenges. The authors apply a business approach to the subject, reflecting developments in the teaching and content of university courses, and the text covers both key principles and contemporary themes and issues at a global scale. Among the new features and topics included in this fifth edition are: New and fully updated case studies to reflect current trends and emerging markets including Africa and Asia. Up-to-date content on disruptive technologies such as Airbnb, low-cost airlines, the e-travel revolution and future developments. Current debates in sustainable tourism including the anti-tourism movement, plastic use and the Sustainable Development Goals. New content on evolving topics such as future employment, human resource management in tourism and generational marketing. Fully updated statistics and data. A brand-new Companion Website including an instructor’s manual, supplementary case studies, weblinks, multiple choice questions and PowerPoint slides. This is the ideal guide to tourism for students across all levels, serving as a point of reference throughout a programme of study.

The Routledge Handbook of Tourism Cities presents an up-to-date, critical and comprehensive overview of established and emerging themes in urban tourism and tourist cities. Offering socio-cultural perspectives and multidisciplinary insights from leading scholars, the book explores contemporary issues, challenges and trends. Organised into four parts, the handbook begins with an introductory section that explores contemporary issues, challenges and trends that tourism cities face today. A range of topics are explored, including sustainable urban tourism, overtourism and urbanisation, the impact of terrorism, visitor–host interactions, as well as reflections on present and future challenges for tourism cities. In Part II the marketing, branding and markets for tourism cities are considered, exploring topics such as destination marketing and branding, business travellers and exhibition hosting. This section combines academic scholarship with real-life practice and case studies from cities. Part III discusses product and technology developments for tourism cities, examining their supply and impact on different travellers, from open-air markets to creative waterfronts, from social media to smart cities. The final Part offers examples of how urban tourism is developing in different parts of the world and how worldwide tourism cities are adapting to the challenges ahead. It also explores emerging forms of specialist tourism, including geology and ecology-based tourism, socialist heritage and post-communist destination tourism. This handbook fills a notable gap by offering a critical and detailed understanding of the diverse elements of the tourist experience today. It contains useful suggestions for practitioners, as well as examples for theoretical frameworks to students in the fields of urban tourism and tourism cities. The handbook will be of interest to scholars and students working in urban tourism, heritage studies, human geography, urban studies and urban planning, sociology, psychology and business studies.