ABSTRACT
Contemporary conceptualizations of the urban condition emphasize the specific geographies, dynamics and consequences of city-building processes, whether in specific regional contexts or as a national, continental or global aggregation. The urban is conceived with reference to the conditions, morphologies and transformations of the city, a specific type of human settlement or techno-infrastructure that is contrasted to other, putatively non-urban spaces. Prior to the 1970s, the field of urban studies devoted extensive attention to the role of non-city landscapes in the urbanization process. The major contemporary counterpoints to this hegemonic, city-centric approach to urban studies are associated with various streams of urban ecological thought.
