ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book describes many of the contemporary movements that have an impact on the people–place relationships in cities. It discusses interdisciplinary urban challenges facing contemporary city-makers and the opportunities associated with them for people–place relationships in the 21st-century city. The book is an interdisciplinary compendium of discussions informed by either years of research or years of professional practice. It utilizes five contemporary thematic aspirations for cities, with powerful implications for people–place relationships in cities. These are vibrant cities, diverse cities, equitable cities, smart cities, and resilient cities. People are as complex and varied as the cities in which they live. Urban environments can be cold, hard-edged, impersonal, and harsh, and yet the human beings who live in them are social, intimate, collaborative, and warm.
