The three biggest challenges for cities in 2017

By Alexandra Jones | 18 January 2017
  • Alexandra Jones

2016 was a year of great political upheaval. Will 2017 be as momentous? What will the implications for UK cities be? Here are my predictions for the three biggest issues in the coming year.

We will see increased protectionism and growing concerns about globalisation: The backlash against globalisation is set to continue with the inauguration of President-elect Trump and could also affect upcoming elections in Germany and France. These changes will affect trade at city region level as well as internationally. They will also dominate government resources and policy debates, potentially to the exclusion of issues such as city region devolution – an area which still requires considerable policy untangling.

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