"The Evolving Arab City: Tradition, Modernity and Urban Development” is a sequel to Elsheshatwy’s edited book “Planning Middle Eastern Cities: An Urban Kaleidoscope in a Globalizing World” published by Routledge (2004). It prolongs the debate initiated by the first book by introducing critical assessments of more contemporary Middle East cities. This new collection reveals the contrasts and similarities between older, traditional Arab cities and the newer oil-stimulated cities of the Gulf in their search for a place in the world order. In addition to the six cities covered in the first book - Algiers, Baghdad, Sana’a, Tunis, Cairo and Dubai - the eight cities which form the core of the new book – Rabat, Amman, Beirut, Kuwait, Manama, Doha, Abu Dhabi and Riyadh – provide a unique insight into today’s Middle East cities.