More than half the world's population lives in cities, and that proportion is expected to rise to three-quarters by 2050. Urbanization is a global phenomenon, but the way cities are developing, the experience of city life, and the prospects for the future of cities vary widely from region to region. The Atlas of Cities presents a unique taxonomy of cities that looks at different aspects of their physical, economic, social, and political structures; their interactions with each other and with their hinterlands; the challenges and opportunities they present; and where cities might be going in the future. Each chapter explores a particular type of city--from the foundational cities of Greece and Rome and the networked cities of the Hanseatic League, through the nineteenth-century modernization of Paris and the industrialization of Manchester, to the green and "smart" cities of today. Expert contributors explore how the development of these cities reflects one or more of the common themes of urban development: the mobilizing function (transport, communication, and infrastructure); the generative function (innovation and technology); the decision-making capacity (governance, economics, and institutions); and the transformative capacity (society, lifestyle, and culture). Using stunning info-graphics, maps, charts, tables, and photographs, the Atlas of Cities is a comprehensive overview of the patterns of production, consumption, generation, and decay of the twenty-first century's defining form. * Presents a one-of-a-kind taxonomy of cities that looks at their origins, development, and future prospects* Features core case studies of particular types of cities, from the foundational cities of Greece and Rome to the "smart" cities of today* Explores common themes of urban development, from transport and communication to lifestyle and culture* Includes stunning info-graphics, maps, charts, tables, and photos Additional material for this book: Cities Featured: Abuja, Alexandria, Amsterdam, Athens, Augsburg, Babylon, Beijing, Berlin, Brasilia, Bruges, Budapest, Cairo, Canberra, Chandigarh, Chicago, Constantinople, Curitiba, Detroit, Dubai, Dublin, Dusseldorf, Florence, Frankfurt, Freiburg, Geneva, Ghent, Glasgow, Gussing, Hong Kong, Innsbruck, Istanbul, Jakarta, Karachi, Knossos, Las Vegas, London, Los Angeles, Lubeck, Manchester, Marseille, Masdar City, Mexico City, Miami, Milan, Mumba, Mumbai, Nairobi, New York, Paris, Pella, Portland, Rome, San Francisco, Santorini, Sao Paulo, Seoul, Shanghai, Sheffield, Singapore, Sparta, St. Petersburg, Stockholm, Sydney, Syracuse, Tokyo, Vancouver, Venice, Vienna, Washington, D.C., Wildpoldsried

About the Author
Paul Knox is University Distinguished Professor of Urban Affairs and Planning and codirector of the Global Forum on Urban and Regional Resilience at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. His many books include Palimpsests: Biographies of 50 City Districts, Cities and Design, and Urban Social Geography.

Reviews
Winner of the 2014 AAG Globe Book Award for Public Understanding of Geography, Association of American Geographers One of The Globe and Mail 75 Book Ideas for Christmas 2014 "This fascinating survey effectively complemented and enriched by color maps, charts, and illustrations, celebrates the urban landscape's past, present, and potential for the future. Intended for the general reader, Knox's reference is recommended to anyone interested in urban studies and geography."--Library Journal (Starred Review) "[T]he large format of this coffee-table book provides room for a stunning abundance of photographs, charts, graphs, maps, and other enhancements that make Atlas of Cities as much a visual experience as a narrative one."--Ray Bert, Civil Engineering "This elegantly illustrated volume is a feast of maps and graphics... Geographers, sociologists, architects, and urban planners have contributed clear thematic chapters, and the result is a book that will encourage readers to think differently about many cities, including their own."--Graeme Wood, Pacific Standard "A cartographic buffet that lays out how our metropolises came to be and what makes them tick."--John King, San Francisco Chronicle "[T]his is a volume that could excite exploration of those more flexible sources, and its prose, design and illustration will surely achieve that for some who come across it--perhaps in libraries or classrooms."--Alan Mabin, Urban Africa "A lavish, exhaustive look at the history, transformation, and future of urban centres around the globe. The perfect book for the Richard Florida--who, coincidentally, wrote the foreword--in your life."--Globe and Mail "Much more than a book. Through innovative maps, charts, info-graphics and tables, Atlas lays out the cycles of consumption, creation, and decay that drive the living spaces that will soon house three-fourths of the human race, up from today's half. This book doesn't tell you about cities, it lets you understand them."--Dan Bischoff, Newark Star-Ledger "This atlas does not graph the usual geographic shapes of cities, but tries to diagram the many other dimensions within cities around the world. Taking example from many specific cities (such as Istanbul, or Cairo) it tries to dissect, almost like an x-ray, the many organs, tissues, cells, and anatomy of a typical city... This book will likely illuminate your world."--Kevin Kelly, Wink "The kind of book I imagine anyone in the field of Urban Studies would like to own... Atlas of Cities is not just a well-edited book full of useful didactical maps but also the kind of book that the members of our map-loving species want to have."--Manuel B, Aalbers, Urban Studies



Book Information
ISBN 9780691157818
Author Paul Knox
Format Hardback
Page Count 256
Imprint Princeton University Press
Publisher Princeton University Press
Weight(grams) 1588g