The development of defensive strategies encompassing the fortification and privatisation of the city has attracted significant attention during recent years and has become particularly relevant in the aftermath of September 11th. Dealing with issues of risk, security and the spatial restructuring of contemporary Western cities, this book examines how the perceived risk of terrorist attack led to changes in the physical form and institutional infrastructure of the City of London during the 1990s when the City was a prime terrorist target.

Jon Coaffee, Chair of Spatial Planning, Centre for Urban and Regional Studies, Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham, UK

Contents: Part I: Transforming Cities in the Age of Terrorism: Introduction: terrorism, risk and the City; Urban restructuring and the development of defensive landscapes; Controlling the security discourse in the postmodern City; Risk society and the global terrorist threat. Part II: The City of London's Response: Constructing and reinforcing the ring of steel; Distributing the financial risk of terrorism; Framing, legitimating and negotiating the City's response to terrorist risk. Part III: Terrorism, Risk and the Future City: Beating the bombers: a decade of counter terrorism in the City of London; Terrorism and future urbanism; Bibliography; Index.