In the first forty or so years following its revival at the end of the nineteenth century, the burdens placed on cities hosting a modern Olympic Games were relatively modest. However, as the Games have grown in size and stature, morphing from a small-scale summer festival into an intensively mediated global lollapalooza, demands on host cities have massively increased, resulting in the construction of vast and expensive new stadia, Olympic villages, and associated infrastructure. Moreover, after the Second World War, host cities have increasingly used the Olympics as a means to achieve...

Sustainability is widely recognized as a key objective of urban development in the twenty-first century. But how is it realized in practice? What are its historical origins and its theoretical underpinnings? How does it connect to, or inform, related movements which seek to create more liveable cities, achieve more equitable development, or reduce greenhouse-gas emissions? What are the best examples of sustainable cities in practice, and how did they get there? Can megacities really be sustainable? And how do sustainability aspirations compare between developed and developing nations?

From the earliest attempts to structure and organize human settlements in the image of divine, cosmic, or an ideal social order, the notion of urban design has deep historical roots. Down the ages, the design of cities has reflected edicts prescribed by the highest authorities, including priests, rulers, philosophers, and visionary thinkers. Many dynasties sought glory and fame in the design of their cities and even in modern times new cities have been designed and built as icons of independence and as symbols of progress. Thus, city design has played a crucial role in the construction of...

Since the "Opening Up" period of 1978-80, China has urbanized with unprecedented speed. The construction of completely new cities and the dramatic redevelopment of existing urban centers have completely transformed the Chinese landscape. This urban revolution has generated an astonishing number and size of cities, undertaken with little thought for environmental and social consequences. Scholars striving to understand and analyze these remarkable and often contradictory urban phenomena have contributed to a large English language literature in multiple disciplines (geography, sociology,...