Interplaces ─ An Economic Geography of the Inter-urban and International Economies

Much of the world's economic activity takes place in between cities and nations - the geographical containers that we have taken for granted for hundreds of years now.

In this book Nicholas Phelps provides a guide to this uncharted territory within urban and economic geography. He highlights the importance of intermediary actors and processes in shaping this economy in between. From the airports, shopping malls, and office parks that have sprung up on the road between cities, to work done on the move in cars and trains, to the decisions made by internationally mobile networks of experts in conferences and negotiations. The geography of the economy in between is revealed as one involving four recurring and coexisting economic geographical formations - the agglomeration, the enclave, the networks, and the arena. Phelps sets out a multidisciplinary perspective and agenda on the question of the how, why, and where much contemporary economic activity takes place.

Nicholas Phelps gained a BA (Hons) and a PhD in geography from UCL and Newcastle respectively. Prior to working as a professor at the Bartlett School of Planning at UCL, he has worked as a lecturer in City & Regional Planning at Cardiff University, in Geography at the University of Leeds and a Reader in geography at the University of Southampton. He has authored and edited 7 books and published over 60 international peer-reviewed journal articles. He currently serves on the editorial boards of the journals Economic Geography, Journal of Economic Geography and Environment & Planning C.