City in newly developing countries

Urbanism and urbanization in newly developing countries are enormously complex subjects. The phenomena are world wide, and complex partly for that reason. But they are also discernible in differing degrees and in differing contexts. They occur in their present forms as a result of varying histories from country to country, and even within countries. Such variation is disconcerting to the sociologist, but not disastrously so. The variations involve dimensions that are economic, psychological, sociological, political, and virtually every conceivable combination of these and other components.

They are partly process and partly product. Perhaps it is presumptuous even to try to focus one reader on such diversity; doing so places a premium on what will be selected for inclusion. Neither this nor any other such reader can to provide the newcomer to the study of cities in newly developing countries with materials on aspects of the subject that the editor believes are among the most important be all things to all people. This one aims to be truly comprehensive would be to perpetrate a disastrous assembly of ill-sorted information. The criteria for selection have included, among other considerations, the expertness of the author, a quality not easily come in studying the new patterns of urbanization.