Cities vs States. Scales of Government and Governance

The consolidation of large urban areas over the last two centuries has sparked a debate on the role of cities, their relationship with nation-states, and the emergence of metropolitan areas as an intermediate scale. Cities are increasingly demanding more autonomy because they are where most of the population is concentrated. They are also where manufacturing, taxation, basic services, and citizen security are located. States, for their part, have traditionally defined themselves in terms of territorial control, the monopoly of coercive power, and the authority to enforce the law. The consolidation of large, functionally interconnected metropolitan areas has given rise to new forms of political-territorial relations. This chapter examines the metropolitan phenomenon beyond the fact of its population and expansion, approaching it as a new political scenario in which competition between different levels of government plays a key role.