In the course of economic and cultural globalization, most large cities have been transformed via increasing commercialisation of urban space, and consequent intense processes of theming. Bringing together leading urban scholars, this book examines links between economic, social, and psychological factors in the transformation of cities. The work argues that 'fascination' plays a key role in the commercialization of theming, making it pivotal to the economic utilization of urban landscapes.

Chapter 1 Cities and Fascination: Beyond the Surplus of Meaning, Heiko Schmid, Wolf-Dietrich Sahr, John Urry; Part I Revealing Fascination: Theoretical Horizons; Chapter 2 The Urban Question after Modernity, Michael Dear; Chapter 3 The City is Back (in Our Minds), Jacques Lévy; Chapter 4 Emotions in an Urban Environment: Embellishing the Cities from the Perspective of the Humanities, Jürgen Hasse; Chapter 5 Aesthetics and Design: Perceptions in the Postmodern Periphery, Ludger Basten; Part II Focusing Fascination: Crossing Theoretical and Empirical Perpectives; Chapter 6 'The Most Dangerous Knack': Fetish and Fascination in the Built Environment, Neil Smith; Chapter 7 The Urban Staging of Politics: Life Worlds, Aesthetics, and Planning '" and an Example from Brazil, Wolf-Dietrich Sahr; Part III Implementing Fascination: Case Studies; Chapter 8 From Dreamland to Wasteland: The Discursive Structuring of Cities, Ulrike Gerhard, Ingo H. Warnke; Chapter 9 Re-designing the Metropolis: Purpose and Perception of the Ruhr District as European Capital of Culture 2010, Achim Prossek; Chapter 10 Strategic Staging of Urbanity: Urban Images in Films and Film Images in Hamburg's City Marketing, Sybille Bauriedl, Anke Strüver; Chapter 11 'Neoliberalism with Chinese Characteristics': Consumer Pedagogy in Macao, Tim Simpson; Part IV Consequences of Fascination: New Horizons; Chapter 12 Excess, Fascination and Climates, John Urry;