Abstract

Cities, by their very nature, are a mass of contradictions. They can be at once visually stunning, culturally rich, exploitative and unforgiving. In The Lure of the City Austin Williams and Alastair Donald explore the potential of cities to meet the economic, social and political challenges of the current age.

This book seeks to examine the dynamics of urban life, showing that new opportunities can be maximised and social advances realised in existing and emerging urban centres. The book explores both the planned and organic nature of urban developments and the impacts and aspirations of the people who live and work in them. It argues convincingly that the metropolitan mindset is essential to the struggle for human liberation.

The short, accessibly written essays are guaranteed to spark debate across the media and academia about the place of cities and urban life in our ever-changing world.
'This collection breaks some unconventional ground, a welcome event given the grip of orthodoxy about cities so mindlessly accepted today'
Joel Kotkin, author of The City: A Global History (2005)
'This book opens a debate as it allows the readers to reconsider their own prejudices and preferences'
Will Alsop, OBE, architect and adjunct professor, Ontario College of Art and Design
'Out from under the dead weight of conventional wisdom and eco-gloom emerges a clear-eyed vision of cities that is celebrated in this book'
Matt Ridley, author of The Rational Optimist (2010)
'Timely, lucid and provocative'
Tim Marlow, broadcaster and director of Exhibitions at White Cube in London