Abstract

The urban question revolves around issues of inclusion and exclusion. All cities display some level of inequality and poverty. The proportion of slum dwellers in urban areas across all developing regions has reduced since 1990, but the numbers have increased gradually. Many urban projects have contributed to increasing inequality in African and Latin American cities, while in European cities inequality is less extreme. Contemporary urban malaise affects many parts of the world, but a more open form of urbanism that nurtures the complexity of identity could show that cities can help provide solutions and not just exacerbate problems.