Urban Geography

Abstract

Urban development processes are greatly affected by structural transformation of societies. Over the past decade, societies have witnessed changes that were unprecedented in recent history: the collapse of political and economic systems, new integration policies, globalization of the economy and the decline of the nation-state, mass migration, governmental retrenchment, and social restructuring. Structural changes in societies manifest themselves distinctly in urban areas and every generation needs to engage in the discourse on a country's built politics, the sustainability of urban form and design, and the ecological footprint of major cities and suburban areas. Urban geography deals with the analysis of the complex dimensions of urban social, economic, cultural, and political processes, patterns, and structures and urban planning processes to build up or retain local comparative advantages, while retaining cities as livable urban places and securing their sound social and environmental development for future generations. This article describes the conceptual and methodological approaches and the long-term prospects of urban geography.