"This text offers an excellent wide-ranging introduction to the changing forms and experiences of the urban. It examines how modern cities have been reshaped over the second part of the twentieth century and into the twenty-first. In doing so, it explores and assesses the systems of explanation that have been developed in order to advance our understanding of contemporary transformations in urban life.

Throughout, discussion of theory is married with grounded analysis of actual cities around the world, and case studies are provided to illustrate the diversity of urban experience as it is shaped by distinctive histories and contexts." "This is the perfect text for the student and non-specialist reader wanting to understand the nature of cities in an increasingly global world."--BOOK JACKET.