Orbits : the ancient Mediterranean tradition of urban networks -- Urban centrality and the interweaving of quaternary activites -- Capital cities -- The study of former capitals -- Economics, esthetics, and ethics in modern urbanization -- The growing city as a social and political process -- How large can cities grow? -- Megalopolitan systems around the world -- Planning and metamorphosis in Japan -- Office work and the evolution of cities -- Urban settlements and telecommunication -- The recent evolution of Oxford -- The ethics of living at high densities -- Urbanization and employment : towards a general theory -- The metamorphosis of the modern metropolis -- Transatlantic orbits : the interplay in the evolution cities