The Urban Now

Drawing upon over a quarter of a century’s worth of research, The Urban Now illuminates our present urban condition. John Rennie Short captures the main features of this moment of urban significance, investigating the city as a crucial arena strategically located between global flows and national surfaces.

Divided into seven distinct parts, concise and accessible chapters delve into the city and its relation to globalization, urban imaginaries, climate change, Covid-19 and public health, traffic, technology, and everyday life. Conducting poignant analyses of a diverse group of changing cities, including Cali, Megalopolis, Mparntwe and Syracuse, the book explores questions surrounding postcolonial culture, deindustrialization, social inclusion, informal economies, and new class relationships. Short ultimately highlights the progressive possibilities and redemptive power of the urban experience to change lives and attitudes.



Providing a theoretically sophisticated and empirically informed assessment of public policies, this unique book will prove an essential tool for students and scholars of urban and regional studies, human geography, sociology and social policy. Practical in scope, its appeal will extend to policymakers and practitioners with an interest in cities, urban development, globalization and urbanization.