Books like Planet of Slums by Mike Davis

Urban economist Edward Glaeser argues that cities are humanity’s greatest invention, offering health, economic, and cultural benefits that outweigh common stereotypes of overcrowding and pollution, and urging policies that nurture urban growth.

Based on Venkatesh's interviews with New York City prostitutes and socialites, immigrants and academics, high end drug bosses and street-level dealers, "Floating City" exposes the underground as the city's true engine of social transformation and economic prosperity--revealing a wholly unprecedented vision of New York. A remarkable memoir of sociological investigation.

A sharp, humorous satire that follows city trader Jimmy Corby as the global financial crisis brings his glamorous life crashing down.

This book makes available to undergraduates the author's recent writing (including a new essay on flexible accumulation and the city of spectacle) on the physical and social environment of western cities, in which he explores the links between the processes and pressures of urbanization, the culture of urban life - in effect the culture of the west - and the nature of capitalism in the post-industrial world. The collection contains three of the five essays from "Consciousness and the Urban Experience" and four of the eight from "The Urbanization of Capital". The essays embody the combination of theory, observation and interpretation most characteristic of the author's recent work, and address the needs and interests of students of urban processes in departments of geography, sociology and politics. The book is aimed at students of urbanization and urban society in departments of geography, sociology and politics.

People around the world are confused and concerned. Is it a sign of strength or of weakness that the US has suddenly shifted from a politics of consensus to one of coercion on the world stage? What was really at stake in the war on Iraq? Was it all about oil and, if not, what else was involved? What role has a sagging economy played in pushing the US into foreign adventurism? What exactly is the relationship between US militarism abroad and domestic politics? These are the questions taken up in this compelling and original book. In this closely argued and clearly written book, David Harvey, one of the leading social theorists of his generation, builds a conceptual framework to expose the underlying forces at work behind these momentous shifts in US policies and politics. The compulsions behind the projection of US power on the world as a "new imperialism" are here, for the first time, laid bare for all to see.

"A complete introduction to the history, evolution, and future of the modern city, this book covers a wide range of theory, including the significance of space and place, to provide a balanced account of why cities are an essential part of the global human experience. Covers a wide range of theoretical approaches to the city, from the historical to the cutting edge Emphasizes the important themes of space and place Offers a balanced account of cities and offers extensive coverage including urban inequality, environment and sustainability, and methods for studying the city Takes a global approach, with examples from Berlin and Chicago to Shanghai and Mumbai Includes a range of pedagogical features such as a substantial glossary of key terms, critical thinking questions, suggestions for further reading and a range of innovative textboxes which follow the themes of Exploring Further, Studying the City and Making the City Better Extensively illustrated with maps, charts, tables, and over 80 photographs Accompanied by a comprehensive website (www.wiley.com/go/cities) featuring further examples and case studies, discussion and essay questions, chapter outlines and links to useful online resources and films and documentaries "-- "A complete introduction to the history, evolution, and future of the modern city, this book covers a wide range of theory, including the significance of space and place, to provide a balanced account of why cities are an essential part of the global human experience"--

The New Urban Sociology offers a comprehensive, sociospatial framework for analyzing how race, class, gender, economics, culture, and politics shape metropolitan life in the United States.