Introduces a special, 20th-anniversary issue of "Urban Affairs Quarterly." Raises questions concerning the journal's function; the major factors affecting American urban areas; trends and projections for the future; significant policy initiatives; and research needs regarding cities and policymaking. (KH)

Presents brief overview of the development of urban studies, from its origins in the "urban crisis" of the 1960's to the present trend toward study of the terrapolis, the world system of interdependent metropolitan areas. Focuses on the role of "Urban Affairs Quarterly," changing definitions of the "city," and the…

The article presents a brief historical account of the emergence of urban social sciences from 1900 to the 1930s in Chicago (centered at the University of Chicago) and assesses how these developments influenced contemporary social science research on urban social life. A major legacy of early Chicago social scientists is identified as…