The Contested Metropolis

Berlin, Brussels, Florence, London, Toronto, Zurich - fascinating western metropolises which are all sophisticated icons of international commerce, finance, tourism, though in very different ways. Striking appearances and successful structures are, however, only one side of the reality. On the shadow side, there are the insidious changes which have come about primarily for reasons of quick profit and consumerism; social and ethnic ghettos are on the increase. Yet in all these cities there are forces which are facing up to these supposedly irreversible developments and which must be taken seriously. INURA - an International Network for Urban Research and Action - published Possible Urban Worlds in 1998 to draw attention to contemporary urban renewal. Now they are publishing Contested Metropolis which looks at these six cities, presenting the most important critics and alternative urban projects.