INTRODUCTION

This volume is a result of the efforts of the Urban Commission at the IGU (International Geographical Union) regional conference held at Tel Aviv on July 2010. About 50 papers have been presented in the conference focusing on a wide range of urban issues. The commission brings together scholars from about 30 countries in four continents in order to exchange ideas and stimulate research from a comparative perspective. This volume brings together six articles, which focus on the ways in which cities are dealing with challenges set by the era of globalization. Each paper deals with one case study but by bringing them together some comparative perspective is highlighted