European cities are at the center of social, political and economic changes in Western Europe. This book develops a new analytical framework in urban sociology and politics, and examines the economics of cities, their social structures, and the modes and processes of governance. Each chapter comprises a comparison across several countries and examines critically the book's central theoretical perspective. This is not a book about the making of a Europe of cities but rather about how some cities can take advantage of their changing global and European environment.