Modern Cities: Ten Variations
This book presents ten types of city that are the product of the modernisation of the world in the past two centuries. That modernisation has changed the economic, social and political context in which cities have developed, as well as the form and function of cities themselves. Of the ten city types detailed, some of them—like national capitals, resorts for pilgrims or gamblers or tourists, city states or cosmopolitan cities—are not entirely new kinds of city, since they existed in pre-modern times, but their modern forms exhibit novel characteristics. Others—like megacities of 10 million plus populations, boom towns, satellite cities, cities created by émigrés or refugees, cities under communist rule, and exploding cities of super rapid growth—are unique to modern times. Each type is described and analysed, and also exemplified in brief city profiles with photographs. All in all, over 50 cities in the modern world are featured here, including Astana, Mecca, Singapore, Buenos Aires, Shenzen, Bangalore, Milton Keynes, Salt Lake City, Magnitogorsk and Ulaanbaatar. These accounts draw on research, news reports, guidebooks, film and fiction and personal travels.
From 2005-2018, William Solesbury was a Senior Visiting Research Fellow at King’s College London. He held other Visiting Fellowships at Nuffield College, Oxford and at the University of California, Berkeley. He has also worked as a town planner, researcher and public policy analyst. His publications include over 20 journal articles and the book World Cities, City Worlds: Explorations with Metaphors, Icons and Perspectives (2018).
“This is a really impressive book. The object is to get to the bottom of different types of cities. These are types that bring together, in a provocative way, similarities that might otherwise elude: between Ankara and Astana as New Capitals; Salt Lake City and Tel Aviv as Resettlements; and Mecca and Las Vegas as Resorts. The method is ethnographic, juxtaposing all manner of evidence and the writing style is easy and fluent. It is highly recommended to anyone interested in what makes cities work. It is a deeply thoughtful book, but one that is highly readable. It is a major accomplishment.”
Kevin R. Cox
Emeritus Distinguished Professor of Geography, Ohio State University, USA
“I couldn’t wait to start this rich and highly appetising set of 11 essays written on a genuinely global and international scale on different types of major city; each essay contains case studies carrying essential historical facts laced with powerful and evocative insights and photographs identifying the historical and cultural essence of each city studied, some of which Solesbury visited.”
Alan Townsend
Emeritus Professor of Regional Regeneration and Development Studies, Durham University, UK
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