ABSTRACT
This book is concerned with the transformation processes taking place in European cities and the governance systems guiding those processes. This theme implies a focus on both the causes and the effects of the changes in the urban fabric. The changes are observed in the physical, industrial, demographic and social dimensions but also in the urban planning, management, and governance systems themselves. The challenge, and thus the main question raised in this chapter, may be formulated as follows: Is it possible to influence the development of our cities in the intended direction(s) given the new conditions of a market-driven and decentralised economy?
