ABSTRACT
This book highlights recent research in urban politics. It draws together an
international and cosmopolitan group of scholars working on urban politics, each making
a distinctive contribution. In a diverse collection of essays, it is challenging for an editor to
make connections and generalisations about the contributions and this book is no
exception. Each chapter speaks for itself. Yet, there is a common theme, which lies in the
implicit or explicit assertion of each author that the study of politics at the urban scale is
essential. In short, urban politics matters. It does so in different ways and to different
degrees depending on context, but the case for studying the politics of cities is clear. This
book serves as a show-case for new thinking in the urban politics discipline.