Cities mean different things to different people. For some, they are places of production, for others places of consumption. Some see them as vessels of history and culture, others post-modern remnants of a nostalgic vision. Some view cities as vital fonts of democratic pluralism, while others see only chaos and increasing inequality. In short, what makes a city a city and what makes it work? The multiple understandings of cities and urban development, and the multiple answers to the question “what makes a city a city and what makes it work,” derive much of their content from the multiple methodological lenses employed to look at them. For this project, we will conduct research, teach a class, and co-edit a book that identifies, explains, compares, and critiques the various academic discipline and professional field approaches to thinking about cities. Individual chapters authored by selected experts in urban studies will present the assumptions, methodologies, body of accepted/contested knowledge, and limitations of the relevant disciplines and fields. Additional synthetic and critical writing by Kayden and Glaeser will present taxonomies for classifying more systematically and completely the ways scholars and professionals explain urban development, and will contrast and evaluate the multiple approaches to show strengths and shortcomings.