Although the seemingly apocalyptic scale of the World Trade Center disaster continues to haunt people across the globe, it is only the most recent example of a city tragically wounded. Cities are, in fact, perpetually caught up in cycles of degeneration and renewal. As with the WTC, from time to time these cycles are severely ruptured by a sudden, unpredictable event.

In the wake of recent terrorist activities, this timely book explores how urban populations are affected by 'wounds' inflicted through violence, civil wars, overbuilding, drug trafficking, and the collapse of...