The term 'edge city' describes the rapid growth of urban centres at the edge of established cities. Widely discussed in the US, very little has been written about European edge cities. This book gives a comparative analysis of examples in Greece, Spain, Paris, Finland and the UK, with a theoretical analysis of edge cities and post-suburban Europe.

NICHOLAS A. PHELPS is a Reader in Economic Geography at the University of Southampton, UK, with interests in urban and regional economics and planning. He is author ofMultinationals and European Integration (1996), and is co-editor ofFDI and the Global Economy (1999) andThe New Competition for Inward Investment (2003).

NICK PARSONS is a Senior Lecturer in the School of European Studies at Cardiff University, UK. He is author ofEmployee Participation in Europe(1997) and co-editor ofReinventing France: State and Society in the Twenty First Century(2003).

DIMITRIS BALLAS is a Lecturer in the Department of Geography at the University of Sheffield, UK. His research interests focus on economic geography and microsimulation and he has published articles in the journalsEnvironment& Planning C,Population, Place and Space andGeographical Analysis.

ANDREW DOWLING is a Lecturer in the School of European Studies at Cardiff University, UK, and has published articles in theInternational Journal of Iberian Studies,Journal of Catalan Studies andRegional and Federal Studies.

Preface Introduction Closer to the Edge: Function and Form in Post-Suburban Europe In Search of a European Post-Suburban Identity Kifissia: Playground of the Athenians? Getafe: Capital of the Gran Sur Noisy-le-Grand: A Grand Vision or Noise about Nowhere? Espoo: California Dreaming? Croydon: The Croydonization of South London? Post-Suburban Futures Notes Appendix References Index