Planning is a highly political activity. It is immersed in politics and inseparable from the law. Urban and regional planning decisions often involve large sums of money, both public and private, with the potential to deliver large benefits to some and losses to others. Contemporary Urban Planning, 11e provides students with an unvarnished and in-depth introduction to the historic, economic, political, legal, ideological, and environmental factors affecting urban planning today, and emphasizes the importance of considering who wins and who loses in planning decision making.

The extensively revised and updated 11th edition of this beloved text tackles the most pressing recent issues in urban developmentincluding the major turn toward reurbanization, Affordable Housing and the particular housing needs of an aging population, new developments in public transportation planning, policy, and technology, standards for "green" buildings, the second Obama administrations environmental policy and energy planning, as well as the rapidly growing and critical field of planning for natural catastrophes. Contemporary Urban Planning is an essential resource for students, city planners, and all who are concerned with the nature of contemporary urban development problems.