The aim of this work is yet to reinstate the University of the modern era in its immediate environment, to break with the image of an institution above ground. If the university seems increasingly dominated by the city of Paris to Edinburgh, of Helmstedt in Leiden, new uses animate the relationship between cities and universities. Teachers and students involved in the introduction of new knowledge and new social practices never fail to intervene in policy debates which agitate the urban elite. The presence of the university, all vehemently defended under severe competition, strengthens the symbolic capital cities. The book invites the reader to review the functions and the role of the university in the city in modern times.