'This collection of essays provides a rich assortment of methods used to investigate the complex economic, social, environmental, demographic and political systems in cities throughout the world. It gives researchers, lecturers and students a useful taste of the different ways of studying these phenomena in diverse urban settings.'
- Ivan Turok, University of Glasgow, UKIn this timely Handbook, more than 17 renowned contributors from Asia, the Americas and Europe provide chapters that deal with some of the most intriguing and important aspects of research methodologies on cities and urban economies.

The Handbook comprises five parts: methodology, continental distinctions, positioning cities, planning for the future, and urban structures. The 'methodologies' section includes interviews, empirical and theoretical approaches whilst 'continental distinctions' offers contributions on China, North America, Europe, Latin America and South Africa. 'Positioning' treats cities in the international context and relates them to economic and administrative spaces whilst 'planning' includes general strategic economic planning, as well as the experience of individual cities. Finally, the 'structures' section refers to contextual and situational aspects of urban development.

Providing a comprehensive study of urban development and competitiveness, this Handbook will strongly appeal to students wishing to gain a deeper understanding of research methods in urban economics, urban studies and planning.

Contributors: J.A. Annema, D. Arribas-Bel, A. Battaglia, R. Boix, J.M.P. da Cunha, J. Duminy, E.H. Fry, V. Galletto, K. Kourtit, P.K. Kresl, W.F. Lever, J.L. Lezama, Q. Li, J.F. McDonald, P. Ni, P. Nijkamp, N. Odendaal, I. Orihuela, A. Otgaar, H. Priemus, S. Ronda, C. Salone, J. Sobrino, D.-G. Tremblay, J. Trullén, V. Ugalde, L. van den Berg, B. van Wee, V. Watson