Scholarly research on Canadian urban politics has never been extensive, and the few who teach in the field have had to make do with a limited range of textbooks, mostly focused on the institutions of local government. Those wanting to extend their coverage to deal with such issues as the importance of globalization, social movements, race and ethnicity, social inequality, urban political culture, regional governance, the media, and federal policy, have been forced to rely on an assemblage of diverse materials. As well, the politics of, and role played by, the suburbs is often marginal to most texts, focused as they are on the politics of the largest central cities.

James Lightbody has sought to remedy this situation. In this comprehensive text he outlines a broad set of factors that have bearing for the shape of urban politics in Canada today. While the institutions and politics of local and regional governments are the primary focus (in keeping with Canadian tradition), Lightbody also adds to the pot his analysis of the political effects of social, cultural and economic changes across Canadian cities. There are fourteen chapters in total. In the first four chapters, the book examines the nuts and bolts of urban politics and policy making, followed by analysis of local organizations and political cultures. The next four chapters describe the electoral process, the role (or lack of a role) played by political parties in Canadian cities, the importance of the neighbourhood and development lobbies, and the rise of social movements and identity politics at the local scale. The importance and structure of intergovernmental relations is the theme of chapter nine, which is followed by an extended discussion (across three chapters) of regional government and governance in Canada. The closing chapter seeks to summarize the significance of globalization, internationalization, and economic restructuring for Canadian urban governments and metropolitan regions.

On balance, this is a positive contribution. Students of Canadian urban politics are provided with an extensive review of the relevant literature, and will take away the main conceptual tools they will need for advanced research into Canadian urban politics. Lightbody is sensitive and comprehensive in his coverage of the material, and he develops his themes well (though at some length). There are numerous references to the politics of suburban governments and residents. This goes some way to make up for the lack of such a discussion in most other texts, though whether or not Lightbody thinks there exists a distinct suburban political ethic is not elaborated. I particularly like the multi-chapter discussion of amalgamation and the politics of local government reform, though I am not completely comfortable with his characterization of Andrew Sancton's views, particularly his lumping of Sancton's local democracy arguments with the U.S. public choice school of thought. I also think that he might have provided more depth to his analysis of new citizen movements, middle-class participation, and the importance of neighbourhood ratepayer organizations. Nonetheless, I think that Lightbody provides a sound historical and theoretical foundation for his support for metropolitan amalgamation, even when he makes clear his biases (many of which I admittedly share).

So, there is much to recommend, and I would urge those interested in urban politics who are not familiar with Lightbody's work to read this book. Unfortunately, however, most undergraduates will not find the book very compelling. The main problem is Lightbody's prose, which is dry as dust. Of course, one might (correctly) protest that this charge is akin to the pot calling the kettle black! Nonetheless, as a textbook, this will do little to draw the interest of undergraduates toward the study of Canadian cities and away from trendier topics. Though careful in outlining his conceptual arguments, the book reads like an extended opinion piece that happens also to summarize the literature. There are no figures or insets. The tables of data provided are few and far between, and they do little to invigorate the analysis (and some are difficult to understand). The prose is wordy and abstract, the examples are in the main few, and the text is at times repetitive. And at 543 pages, many aspiring urban scholars may well give up long before engaging with the most interesting sections, which tend to be found near the end of the book. While this may not present a problem for interested graduates, as an undergraduate text this is a significant barrier. Some of these issues could have been dealt with by moving some of the data into text boxes, or into tabular form, and through the addition of photos and maps, while reducing the text length.

So, while this book makes a contribution to the literature and improves on traditional Canadian urban political textbooks in its more thorough coverage of urban issues, it is unlikely to be much more popular than the materials one has to currently piece together to teach undergraduates on the subject. Fortunately, the book mostly just needs some formatting changes and ruthless editing. I am looking forward to the second edition.