The Lure of the City From Slums to Suburbs

Cities, by their very nature, are a mass of contradictions. They can be at once visually stunning, culturally rich, exploitative, and unforgiving. In The Lure of the City,Austin Williams and Alastair Donald explore the potential of cities to meet the economic, social, and political challenges of the current age. This book seeks to examine the dynamics of urban life, showing that new opportunities can be maximized and social advances realized in existing and emerging urban centers. The book explores both the planned and organic nature of urban developments and the impacts and aspirations of the people who live and work in them. It argues convincingly that the metropolitan mindset is essential to the struggle for human liberation. The short, accessibly written essays are guaranteed to spark debate across the media and academia about the place of cities and urban life in our ever-changing world.

Austin Williams is author of The Enemies of Progress (2008) and co-editor of The Future of Community (Pluto, 2009). He is the founder of ManTownHuman, director of the Future Cities Project, and convenor of the infamous "Bookshop Barnies" book discussions.
Alastair Donald is researching Urban Systems and Metropolitan Design at the Martin Centre for Architectural and Urban Studies, University of Cambridge.  He is co-editor of The Future of Community (Pluto, 2009).

1. Introduction: The Paradoxical City, by Alistair Donald
2. The Dynamic City: The China syndrome, by Alan Hudson
3. The Emerging City: Africa’s metropolitan mindset, by Alastair Donald
4. The Crowded City: India’s urban movement, by Patrick Hayes
5. The Planned City: Make no small plans, by Michael Owens
6. The Historic City: False urban memory syndrome, by Steve Nash & Austin Williams
7. The Sanitised City: If you’ve done nothing wrong…, by Austin Williams & Tony Pierce
8. The Eco-City: Utopia: then and now, by Austin Williams
9. The Visionary City: Things will endure less than us, by Austin Williams & Karl Sharro
10. Conclusion: The Civilised City, by Austin Williams
Index