Only London, of all the cities in the UK, has been termed a global city (Sassen, 1991). At the beginning of the twenty-first century, much of the rest of Britain, especially in the north, is still struggling with the effects of de-industrialisation. Far from building the new, networked and post-industrial cities of the future, it seems that the majority experience in Britain is of continuing to try to manage the legacy left by the industrial age. It is not clear whether the city-use zones, streets and housing patterns that were necessary to that age fit the work and industry patterns of the present or indeed if they can be adapted to future needs. In many ways, the contemporary city could be said to be in crisis. Urban problems are a recurring theme in popular discourse; recorded crime statistics remain higher in urban than in rural areas, many city communities are seen to be under great stress and the decline of city spaces and traditional routes to employment for the urban population continues to be a focus of concern. This chapter looks at the position of the contemporary city in Britain today. It examines three interrelated themes which have been key to the discussion around British cities over the last two decades: regeneration, division and privatisation. It concludes by asking how far we have moved towards addressing the urban problems of the past and embracing the urban possibilities of the future.

Regenerated Cities

Many cities of the industrialisedWest have witnessed an intensification of urban problems in the last quarter of the twentieth century. Global economic transformations and industrial restructuring have seen former centres of wealth production slip inexorably into economic decline. Subsequent to this decline, and the withdrawal of capital and rising unemployment that have ensued as a consequence, the physical and social infrastructure of these spaces has also started to fail. The old sites of wealth production – the cities – have shown the earliest and most dramatic signs of decay. Dilapidated cityscapes, declining housing markets and rising crime rates have all been features of urban decline, making urban living unattractive to many and fuelling large-scale population movement towards the suburbs and away from city living altogether. Britain has offered no exception to this trend. The flight from British cities is now well documented.