Book excerpt: In 2000, for the first time, a majority of the world's population was living in cities. The trend towards increasing urbanization shows no sign of slowing and the third millennium looks set to be an unprecedentedly urban one. 'Making Sense of Cities' provides an up-to-date, vibrant and accessible introduction to urban geography. It offers students a sense of the patterns and processess of urbanization and the spatial organisation of cities, recognizing the significance of globalization, economics, politics and culture from a range of perspectives. Above all, it seeks to provide a relevant approach, inviting students to engage with competing theories of the urban and to assess them against the background of their own opinions and personal experience. Examples and case studies are drawn from a range of international settings, from San Francisco to Shanghai, Sydney to Singapore, giving a genuinely global coverage. The book is written in a fresh and engaging stlye, and is fully illustrated throughout. It is designed to appeal to any student of the urban and will be essential to students of geography, urban studies, town planning and land economy.