The Endless City

At the turn of the twenty-first century, the world is laced with an unprecedented challenge. It must address a fundamental shift in the world's population towards the cities, and away from mankind's rural roots. Over the course of two years, a group of internationally renowned professionals from a variety of different disciplines and backgrounds gathered together in six world cities to take stock of the new urban condition and to offer an approach to dealing with it. The Urban Age conferences - organized by the London School of Economic: and Political Science and Deutsche Bank's Alfred Herrhausen Society-centred on six very different cities. In Shanghai and Mexico City, the urban population is experiencing rapid growth and change, while Berlin is coming to terms with shrinking expectations. The result was a sometimes passionate, always challenging and informed debate on how architects, urbanists, politicians and policy makers can constructively plan the infrastructure and development...