These four volumes present a series of thematic explorations of key developments and debates on the topic of cities and city life in a post-modern context. Arranged thematically, the volumes draw together articles exploring: the relationship between the dynamics of contemporary globalisation, post-modernity, and urban development; the ways in which many contemporary cities are increasingly defined as centres of consumption rather than production; the multiple modernities defining contemporary city life around the world; and recent attempts to rethink our understandings of the materiality and complexity of cities. This collection has been built on the premise that cities need to be understood as interdisciplinary objects of study, and the contents have been drawn from a wide variety of sources with roots in areas such as urban anthropology, development studies, economics, history, geography and sociology. The result is a unique and valuable resource for scholars based in a variety of social science and humanities disciplines.