Encyclopedia of Urban Studies, Two-Volume Set

The United Nations estimates that by 2030, more than two-thirds of the total world population will live in urban areas. Most of this increase will take place not in Europe or in the United States but in the megacities and newly emerging urban regions of what used to be called the developing world.

Urban studies is an expansive and growing field, covering many disciplines and professional fields, each with its own schedule of conferences, journals, and publication series. These two volumes address the specific theories, key studies, and important figures that have influenced not just the individual discipline but also the field of urban studies more generally. The Encyclopedia of Urban Studies is intended to present an overview of current work in the field and to serve as a guide for further reading in the field.

Key Features

• Includes important work and traditions from each of the urban disciplines, including urban anthropology, urban economics, urban geography, urban history, urban politics, urban psychology, and urban sociology
• Addresses both the growth and expansion of urban areas (urbanization) and the nature and quality of urban life (urbanism)
• Demonstrates the international and interdisciplinary nature of the field with contributions from scholars in many different countries
• Confronts a number of important issues, ranging from individual problems of poverty to societal problems of provision of adequate housing and social exclusion
• Provides entries on a number of cities, including those in different historical periods and regions of the world and those that have been important in the development of urban studies

Key Themes

• Disciplinary Approaches in Urban Studies
• Urban Studies―Topical Areas
• Urban Issues
• Urban Planning
• Urban Theory
• Urban Transportation
• Urban Culture
• Places
• Cities
• Persons

The Encyclopedia of Urban Studies serves as an introduction to topics of significance in urban studies for an audience that includes undergraduate students, beginning graduate students of urban studies and the related urban disciplines, a broader public that has an interest in the new urban world, and even established teachers and scholars who are exploring new areas of study.

More than 50 percent of the world's population is now considered urban. Intended to provide “an overview of current work in the field and to serve as a guide for further reading,” this encyclopedia offers information about related disciplines, including urban anthropology, urban economics, urban geography, urban history, urban politics, urban psychology, and urban sociology as well as professional fields like architecture and urban planning. Volume 1 begins with an alphabetical list of the entries plus a “Reader's Guide.” In addition to entries pertinent to the various disciplines, the encyclopedia has entries for topics ranging from the theoretical (Urban semiotics, World system perspective) to the cultural (Film, Hip Hop) to the sociological (Crime, Ghetto). Also here are entries for specific places (Airport, Piazza); cities (Chicago, Illinois; Mexico City, Mexico); and individuals (Dickens, Charles; Jacobs, Jane). The content is extensively indexed and cross-referenced. Compared to works such as Routledge's Encyclopedia of the City (2005), Encyclopedia of Urban Studies has a more all-encompassing twist and lengthier, more complete entries. Entries average two to four pages in length, and each includes suggestions for further reading. One criticism is that, at best, this is background information because in an ever-changing world, some of the information was outdated before it was published. Information about recent events that have affected urban areas, like the bank, stock, and employment crises, are not in evidence. Recommended for academic and large public library collections. The set is also available as an e-book through Sage Reference Online. Although the electronic version is somewhat more expensive, it will most likely be widely used. --Diana Shonrock