The City in Time and Space

This ambitious book treats urbanisation and urbanism all over the world and from the earliest times to the present. Aidan Southall a pioneer in the study of African cities discusses the urban centres of ancient Sumeria Greece and Rome as well as medieval European cities Chinese Japanese Islamic and Indic cities colonial cities and the great metropolises of the twentieth century. Drawing on this historical and comparative perspective he offers a fresh analysis of world urbanisation in the contemporary period of globalisation. The study emphasises the enduring paradox of the city which juxtaposes splendid cultural productions with the poverty and deprivation of the majority.