- More and more people are moving into towns and cities to live and work, altering the urban/rural balance of countries worldwide

- The Endless City is an unparalleled study of the growth of six of the World's international cities (New York, Shanghai, London, Mexico City, Johannesburg and Berlin), exploring key structural, ecomonic and social factors

- Overseen by the influential educational institution, the London School of Economics (LSE)

- Features extensive research and coherent texts by world-renowned professionals in the field

- The information is presented in a comprehensive and visually compelling sequence, enabling quick and efficient reference as well as offering material that is exciting to study

- Each city is studied individually in its own chapter and examined comparatively in an observational chapter

- Authoritatively edited by Ricky Burdett and Deyan Sudjic in collaboration with LSE and The Urban Age Project, an expanding international organisation seeking a new urban agenda for global cities

"The continuing growth of many major cities worldwide-already very, very big-is an exciting prospect for many reasons but, if left unchecked, is sure to inflict social, economic and environmental trauma. This book focuses on six cities-New York, Shanghai, Mexico City, Berlin, Johannesburg and London-to address, from an urban planning and design perspective, how best they can deal. Loaded with data and vivid images, the authors present essays from a number of sources looking at key social issues in each city (Shanghai's rapid urban transformation, Apartheid's legacy in Johannesburg) and compare the six cities across a number of axes, including areas of relative social disadvantage and subway length. Sudjic's impressive 'Governing the Ungovernable' sees in London's building boom 'a unique opportunity to see the tensions and fault lines between... a centralized vision and laissez-faire.' Some essays are a bit less enlightening, but the tome coheres beautifully around a plethora of photos with extended captions, finding both chaos and potential in a blissfully green park in Shanghai, an endlessly repeating housing project in Mexico City and a busy corner in the Sourth Bronx. This sprawling introduction to the challenges of contemporary urban planning should fascinate students and technically-minded city dwellers. 1,500 color and 400 b/w illustrations." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Burdett and Sudjic offer an unparalleled study of the growth of six of the worlds international cities--New York, Shanghai, London, Mexico City, Johannesburg, and Berlin--exploring key structural, social, and economic factors.