This is a history of the European city from the early Middle Ages to the present. Tracing the city from the survival of urban life after the collapse of the Roman Empire to the effects of modern industrialization and transportation, Professor Benevolo's book also provides a fascinating account of the relationship between urban life and cultural and intellectual life.

Leonardo Benevolo has held positions as Professor of the History of Architecture at the universities of Florence, Venice and Palermo, and visiting professorships at the universities of Yale, Columbia, Caracas, Tehran, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo. His many books include The Origins of Modern Urbanism (10th edition 1989), An Introduction to Architecture (14th edition 1990), The History of Architecture and the Renaissance (7th edition 1988) and The History of the Oriental City (2nd edition 1989).