"This innovative volume offers a much needed update on urban politics in a globalized world...Davidson and Martin, as well as contributors, chart new territory and produce thought-provoking research that move the field in a more critical direction" - Setha M. Low, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York "A critical analysis of power and politics is essential to an understanding of contemporary urbanism. Informative and challenging, clear and sophisticated, Urban Politics: Critical Approaches encourages readers to grapple with the great diversity of analytical lenses that frame urban political research through detailed, engaging case studies" - Eugene McCann, Department of Geography, Simon Fraser University, Canada This critical, thought provoking discussion of contemporary urban politics places key issues in a geographical context. Divided into three sections: * The urban as political setting * The urban as political medium * The urban as political community The text provides a thorough theoretical grounding with an extensive thematic overview. This unique approach links classical, institutional urban politics with a broader set of urban politics and practices.With case study material integrated throughout, and consideration given to the discussion of different urban politics from multiple theoretical perspectives, this is a completely up to date overview for students of urban geography, urban studies, urban sociology, and of course, urban politics.