Urban problems

Urban problems and their resolution represent one of the major challenges for planners and decision makers in the modern world. The increasing number and size of cities and the deterioration of many urban environments mean that currently great emphasis is being placed on the applied approach to the study of the city, tackling the concerns of architects, psychologists, sociologists,
geographers, economists, and planners. This book makes a major contribution to the field, presenting an international and interdisciplinary approach to the problems of cities in the capitalist world. Detailed and wide-ranging, it reviews recent research and synthesizes work undertaken in the major urban-oriented disciplines. The coverage is comprehensive, ranging from the
economic and political dimensions of the capitalist system, through the central human issues of poverty and deprivation,
to the problems of producing a humane urban environment, and specific questions such as housing equity, the
consequences of change and innovation in urban retailing, and urban transportation. An essential reference guide, the book
enables the reader to understand the interrelated complexity of contemporary social, economic, and environmental
problems in urban areas, and to see how applied urban analysis can assist in resolving these problems. It will be
invaluable to students of planning, urban studies, geography, sociology, economics, and architecture, as well as to
professionals in urban planning and management.