Geographies of the Super-Rich

Description

This timely and path-breaking book brings together a group of distinguished and emerging international scholars to critically consider the geographical implications of the world’s super-rich, a privileged yet remarkably overlooked group. Emerging from this unique collection is an enlightening picture of the influence of the super-rich over a diverse range of affairs, extending from the shape of urban and rural landscapes to the future of art history. By concentrating on those at the apex of the economic pyramid, this book provides valuable insights to the institutions, practices and cultural values of our society, as well as allowing us a more comprehensive view of the consequences of global capitalism. Presenting case studies from across the globe – from Singapore to St Barts, London to Lexington – the spatial and cultural span of the book is wide-ranging and diverse. Cover Copyright Contents Figures Tables Contributors Foreword: From Kosrae to Kensington: uncovering cartographies of abundance 1. Establishing geographies of the super-rich: axes for analysis of abundance 2. Economic wealth and political power in the second Gilded Age 3. Overseeing the fortunes of the global super-rich: the nature of private wealth management in London’s financial district 4. ‘The world needs a second Switzerland’: onshoring Singapore as the liveable city for the super-rich 5. ‘Super-rich’ Irish property developers and the Celtic Tiger economy 6. The homes of the super-rich: multiple residences, hyper-mobility and decoupling of prime residential housing in global cities 7. A study of the dominance of the super-wealthy in London’s West End during the nineteenth century 8. The elite countryside: shifting rural geographies of the transnational super-rich 9. The super-rich, horses and the transformation of a rural landscape in Kentucky 10. The sport of kings, queens, sheikhs and the super- rich: thoroughbred breeding and racing as leisure for the super-rich 11. Making art history – wealthy private collectors and contemporary visual art 12. Islanders, immigrants and millionaires: the dynamics of upperclass segregation in St Barts, French West Indies Index