The Rise and Fall of Great Cities: Aspects of Urbanization in the Western World

Using both a historical and contemporary approach, it opens with a broad analysis of the nature of Western urbanization between AD 1800-2000, charting the key forces which shaped cities during this period. Individual chapters, by distinguished scholars, examine the changing nature of the urban fact, delving into such areas as economy, planning, commercial structures, population, health, housing, attitudes toward urban life and the future role of cities as hubs of a global information network.