First published in 1993, this book provides an overview of issues and debates in contemporary urban sociology. It reviews critically each of the major theoretical orientations in the field, providing a brief historical introduction to each approach but emphasising the current theoretical debate. Flanagan juxtaposes the approaches of classical urbanism and urban community theory, the urban ecology approach and the postmodern approach and explains their lasting contribution to the field. Adherents of each of these methodologies contribute to debates within the field, making an overview volume all the more necessary.