This timely textprovides a comprehensive overview of the dramatic and rapidly evolving issues confronting the cities of North America. Metropolitan areas throughout the United States and Canada face a range of dynamic and complex concernsampmdashincluding the redistribution of economic activities the continued decline of manufacturing manufacturing increased social polarization and how to plan a sustainable future. The book explores how the combined processes of urbanization and globalization have added new responsibilities for city governments at the same time leaders are grappling with planning economic development and finance justice equity and social cohesion. Introducing contemporary spatial arrangements and distributions of activities in metropolitan areas this clear and accessible book covers economic social political and ecological changes. It is also the only text to include the physical geography of urban areas. Bringing together leading geographers it will be an ideal resource for courses on urban geography and geography of the city.