The city is perhaps the most complex of all human constructs. In the 21st. century when cities are bigger than ever, and the majority of the world-s population now live in urban areas, the need for research into this complexity to address the large scale challenges of urban life has never been greater. This collection of research studies, from different parts of the world, brings together case studies, underpinned by theory, to contribute to the urgent search to make our cities more just, more liveable, more accesible, more participatory and more democratic: in short, more human places to live and work.