At the moment, half of the world's population lives in cities. Within two decades, this figure will increase to 60 per cent. Extreme wealth and extreme poverty occur alongside each other, but cities remain magnets that attract huge masses of people. For many, cities offer the opportunity for work and income, education and better facilities. Using eight different themes, this book offers an intriguing picture of these developments and of our global future. Cities in transition' investigates the recent urban and political-economic developments in North America, South America, Europe, South Africa and China. It features contributions by 30 experts in the field, including Saskia Sassen, Fulong Wu, M. Christine Boyer, Vittorio Lampugnani, Eric Swyngedouw, Marc Angélil, Joan Busquets, David Grahame Shane, George Baird and many others. The book closes with the urban developments in China, with the urgency of education and research formulated by a dozen deans of influential Chinese universities.