Elgar Research Agendas outline the future of research in a given area. Leading scholars are given the space to explore their subject in provocative ways, and map out the potential directions of travel. They are relevant but also visionary.

Nowadays, the majority of people live in cities, and these cities constitute the heart of the global political economy. In a time of planetary urbanization, this contemporary and visionary book provides a critical assessment of the key areas of urban scholarship across the globe.

Following a comprehensive introduction, 11 stimulating chapters from expert contributors examine a range of important topics, including: sustainability, gentrification, feminist interventions, globalization, security and food issues. Ensuring a global coverage, a further eight regionally informed expert reviews examine recent urban research in sub-Saharan Africa, South America, South and East Asia, the Middle East, Australia and Eastern Europe. These chapters show how urban growth and resurgence unfolds in different ways across the different regions of the world. This Research Agenda provides polemical assessments of current work and signposts for future research.

This book will be an indispensable and accessible guide to students and scholars working in urban studies, urban geography, urban sociology, urban planning and comparative urbanization. City leaders will also find the case studies enlightening and informative.

Contributors include: J. Beaverstock, L. Benton-Short, G. Brown, J. Farrer, R. Freestone, O. Golubchikov, A. Gorman-Murray, B. Hanlon, P. Hubbard, T. Hutton, A. Kanna, M. Keeley, Y.-H. Kim, L. Kong, L. Martínez, C.J. Nash, L. Peake, E. Pieterse, B. Randolph, X. Ren, J.R. Short, T.J. Vicino, A. Wheeler, D.M. Wood, O. Woods, E. Wyly