What is Driving the Growth of New “Sunbelt” Metropolises? Quality of Life and Urban Regimes in Greater Phoenix and Brisbane-South East Queensland Region

Abstract

In this paper we explore the conditions leading to the evolution and eventual weakening of urban regimes by comparing two sunbelt metropolitan areas in two continents. While Greater Phoenix is selected to represent the US case, the Brisbane-South East Queensland region provides a similar representative case in Australia. Both Greater Phoenix and Brisbane-SEQ have been the top or close to the top performers in population growth and economic growth compared to other metropolitan regions in their respective countries. In both cases coalitions of development interests and public officials created conditions for increasing rates of population growth and expansion of metropolitan territories. As growth pressures mounted over time leading to a deterioration of quality of life, local politics began to revolve around local issues of congestion, pollution, and better urban services. This paper explores the changing nature of urban growth coalitions and discusses their implications for the respective metropolitan futures.

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